Task force response draws praise from school officials

About 115 people have expressed interest in serving on a committee charged with finding ways to improve student achievement in northeast Oklahoma City, school district officials said Monday.

That’s nearly six times the number of people Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Aurora Lora planned to recruit for the Northeast Task Force, which will study everything from adding supports for schools to closures and consolidations.

“It says to me that people are really invested in being a part of the solution and wanting to make a change for the kids of Oklahoma City,” Lora said.

The task force will look at 10 schools — Northeast Academy, Star Spencer High School, Douglass Mid-High, F.D. Moon Academy, Willow Brook Elementary, Spencer Elementary, Green Pastures Elementary, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary, Thelma Parks Elementary and Edwards Elementary.

Lora said she will consider expanding the committee and will find other ways to engage everyone who applies before Aug. 25. Members will be notified Aug. 31 and meet for the first time about a week later.

“We’re looking for a cross-section of people that represent different schools and different segments of the community,” she said.

Douglass parent Anna King, a task force applicant, called the response a “great first step” to get the community involved.

“It’s going to take everybody to be a part of it,” she said. “Change can’t just fall on teachers and principals.

“Each school is different and each community is different ... and they need to be treated like they’re different.”

School board member Carrie Jacobs said the number of applicants indicates a “sense of urgency” on the part of the school district and the community.

“What we have isn’t working for our children, and hopefully we can find solutions together through open, honest conversations,” she said. “To do that, everybody has to be at the table. This level of interest and involvement is exciting. I hope it leads to meaningful change on the northeast side. It’s long, long overdue.”

Lora announced the committee last month as part of a modified expansion plan for KIPP Reach Academy the school board approved.

Under the plan, KIPP, a charter serving about 300 middle school students, would occupy Martin Luther King while the committee determines where the charter should

It’s going to take everybody to be a part of it. Change can’t just fall on teachers and principals. Each school is different and each community is different ... and they need to be treated like they’re different.”

DOUGLASS PARENT ANNA KING

open an elementary school in 2017 and a high school in 2018.

Committee’s work

Lora said Monday the committee will work on recommendations in three areas: School options, locations and grade configurations; academic supports and course offerings; and other supports that include counseling, mental health, mentoring and additional wrap-around services.

The assembled team will study high-performing schools with similar demographics so Lora says members can identify the pieces that “we need to try here in Oklahoma City.”

“We know that our schools in the northeast need some additional supports because they’re not performing at the level we want them to,” she said.