Stillwater Public Schools Explained

Stillwater Public Schools
Type:Public, Primary, Secondary, Co-Educational
Budget:$39,500,000
Region:Payne County
Grades:Elementary PK-5
Middle School 6-7
Junior High School 8-9
High School 10-12
Superintendent:Uwe Gordon
Teachers:452[1]
Students:6081[2]
Conference:6A District 4
Schools:9
Location:314 South Lewis Street
Stillwater, Oklahoma 74074
Country:United States of America

The Stillwater Public School District is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The Stillwater school district has nine schools together with an alternative education program.[3]

The district is managed by the Superintendent Uwe Gordon, who works under the direction of a five-person board.[4]

The mascot of both the district and the high school is the Pioneers.[5]

Schools

High school

Middle school

Stillwater OSSAA Athletic Championships
SPORTTITLESYEAR(S)
Baseball21957, 2014
Boys Basketball31923, 1959, 1960
Girls Basketball11926
Boys Swimming31973, 1974, 2014
Girls Swimming21998, 2015
Girls Tennis11982
Boys Track and Field11953
Wrestling81922, 1923, 1924, 1931,
1954, 1969, 1970, 2014
Total21

Elementary schools

All elementary schools host grades pre-k through fifth grade.

Alternative education

Shooting

On 26 September 2012, a student died by a self-inflicted gunshot at Stillwater Junior High School.[6]

Grade Reconfiguration Controversy

In March 2013, then Superintendent Dr. Ann Caine presented the school board with the possibility of reconfiguring the grades to move fifth grade to the middle school, seventh grade to the junior high, and move ninth grade to the high school. The district proposed these measures to assist with needed budgets cuts. Some parents opposed the reconfiguration and spending cuts, because the schedule change "would limit ...opportunities for concurrent enrollment" in a university town and "Teaching positions were being reduced instead of higher administration."[7]

The acting Superintendent Dr. Ann Caine modified the plan to change the schedule change at the high school after students started a #KeepTheBlock Facebook page and change.org petition generated support in the community.[8]

In November 2014, the Board voted to delay the reconfiguration due to needed building repairs and staffing concerns.[9] In July 2015, after the retirement of Superintendent Dr. Ann Caine, the board delayed the reconfiguration, due to concerns about academics and renovations.[10] Through 2015, the budget continued to be an issue, with the board making spending choices on repairs to athletics instead of funding the libraries and restoring funding that had been cut in previous budgetary crises.[11]

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: FY2015 Teacher Index. Oklahoma State Department of Education.
  2. Web site: SDE School Directory. Oklahoma State Department of Education. 8 May 2015.
  3. Web site: Schools . Stillwater Public Schools . 15 June 2011.
  4. Web site: School Board Members . Stillwater Public Schools . 15 June 2011 . 26 September 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110926075437/http://www.stillwaterschools.com/SchoolBoard . dead .
  5. Web site: Stillwater Public Schools, District Profile 2010 . Stillwater Public Schools . 15 June 2011 .
  6. Web site: School shooting leaves Stillwater stunned. NewsOK.com. 2015-12-10.
  7. Web site: Stillwater Public Schools to make organization changes for budget. ocolly.com. 2015-12-10.
  8. Web site: Stillwater high school to keep block schedule. ocolly.com. 2015-12-10.
  9. Web site: Stillwater Board of Education delays grade reconfiguration. Stillwater News Press. 2015-12-10.
  10. Web site: Grade redo motion puzzles Board. Stillwater News Press. 2015-12-10.
  11. Web site: SPS moves forward with high school gym maintenance. Stillwater News Press. 2015-12-10.