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"What is Pathway to Greatness?"

What is the Pathway to Greatness Project?

    • A phased process to align OKCPS facilities & resources with instructional needs
    • A community engagement process that incorporates families’ voices & informs the public
    • A plan that charts a path forward to improve the health of the system & equity for students

What We Know!

    • The status quo is not acceptable.
    • Our past way of doing business has contributed to the problem we face.
    • This is a district-wide problem that requires a district-wide solution.
    • We must build on what is working and improve what is not working.
    • It is time to create the future of education, not recreate the past.

A Message from McDaniel

  • The district is continuing to follow through on our commitment to redesign OKCPS for the future. Our top priority for our resources must be providing equitable learning opportunities for our students to achieve our vision of every student graduating ready to fulfill their unique purpose in a healthy, vibrant community.
     
    Trends over time show that our enrollment is declining slightly and will likely level-off in the next couple of years. This means our share of state funding will decline, even if the overall funding level increases again. A comparison of the number of students we have enrolled and the amount of space in our school buildings shows that we are maintaining a lot of instructional space that we aren't using, a choice that is directing resources to facilities instead of to our students.
     
    To accomplish this, we are launching the Pathway to Greatness project, the next step on our journey that began with The Great Conversation and led to our district's strategic plan, The Great Commitment. The Pathway Project (P2G) will be informed by a thorough assessment of our facilities, a detailed demographic study, and input from our staff and stakeholders. Two important panels, one of educators (Trailblazers) and one of community representatives (Navigators), will provide leadership in the process with the help of our Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer.
     
    The experts we contracted to help with this project will provide three potential solutions for our facilities needs in January 2019, and there will be multiple opportunities for open community feedback. After incorporating the wisdom of our stakeholders, the Navigators panel of community stakeholders will consider the revised options and select one to recommend to me, the Superintendent. We then expect the Board to consider a recommendation from me on the Pathway Project in March 2019.
     
    Although hard decisions will have to be made, the Board and I are confident that this work is necessary to improve the health of the entire OKCPS system and provide equity for our students. We have to move quickly, but I hope you will trust in the process. Data and feedback from a variety of stakeholders will be especially valuable to this work, so if given an opportunity to provide input, I hope you will take the time to do so - whether that means volunteering to serve on a committee, participating in a focus group, or taking a survey.  
     
    As we move down this Pathway to Greatness, I commit to keeping you updated on our progress. As with any project this large and sensitive, I am sure anxiety levels will rise and stories will begin to emerge. I ask you to adopt this simple rule of thumb: If you didn't hear it directly from me, please consider what you're hearing to be a rumor. Transparency is key.
     
    Thank you for your continued support of OKCPS, especially now as we embark on this journey on our Pathway to Greatness.