New Superintendent for OKCPS
April 26, 2007

Oklahoma City – The Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) has successfully concluded its national search for a new superintendent with the selection today of John Q. Porter, an accomplished national leader recognized for his breakthrough initiatives in the use of technology to transform student learning, improve academic performance and increase accountability.

He is currently the Deputy Superintendent of the 140,000 students Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Rockville, Maryland where he heads the office of information and organizational systems. MCPS has an operating budget of $1.85 billion dollars, and have consistently ranked as one of the top public school districts in the country. In his role there, Porter has led the work of the organizational development, accountability units and technology. As a result of his efforts in these areas, Porter has been at the forefront of delivering a rigorous curriculum, instruction based on individual students’ needs and extensive professional training for administrators, teachers and support staff.

“While it has taken us some time to find a new leader, I can say it was worth the wait because we have found an exceptional person to lead the Oklahoma City Public Schools District,” said Cliff Hudson, Chairman of the Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education. “John is the right person at the right time and his broad experience in law, business and education will be of great value in his new position with our district.”

Hudson continued, “We were impressed with the caliber of individuals who showed interest in the superintendent position of our district. The MAPS for Kids initiative has brought national notoriety to our community and district. Educational leaders around the country are struck by the unprecedented community investment we have made in Oklahoma City to reinvent our public school district. They see how we are striving to make it a model urban district where kids learn in the finest facilities from the finest teachers and excel academically.”

The Board voted for the hiring of Porter today at a special meeting held at Wheeler Elementary, one of the schools completely rebuilt as part of the MAPS for Kids program. “The Board was impressed by his accomplishments at one of the biggest and finest public school districts in the country. We took particular note of his consistent advocacy for the alignment of organizational goals, human resources and technology systems to promote monitoring, tracking of continuous improvement initiatives especially in the all-important area of student academic performance.”

Hudson and the Board expressed their appreciation to Linda Brown for her service as the interim superintendent the past ten-months. “We would not have been able to conduct a protracted search had it not been for the able leadership of Linda Brown to guide the district during this time of transition. She has done an exceptional job and all of us are grateful to her.”

Porter has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Catholic University of America and a
Juris Doctor degree from Ohio State University, where he was on the editorial board of the Law Review. He founded and served as President and CEO of Spectrum International, an information services provider based in Maryland, before joining the Montgomery County school district in 2000.

Other accomplishments include the Public School CIO of the Year Award; the Education Technology Think Tank’s Technology to Empower Community Leaders Investing in Equitable Futures Award; received a Governor’s Citation for outstanding services and distinguished leadership; and recognized as Outstanding Leader in Public Service for Montgomery County. Porter is also the former Chairman of the Montgomery County, Maryland, Chamber of Commerce.

Porter and his family will relocate to Oklahoma City soon and he will assume his duties as the new superintendent of the Oklahoma City Public Schools on July 1.