Tulsa Public Schools to launch school year with zero teacher vacancies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

PRESS RELEASE:  Thursday, August 18, 2016

 

What:         Tulsa Public Schools to launch school year with zero teacher vacancies 

When:        Thursday, August 18, 2016

Where:      Tulsa Public Schools

Contact:     Emma Garrett Nelson at 918-202-6956 or garreem@tulsaschools.org

 

TULSA, Okla. – Superintendent Deborah A. Gist announced today that Tulsa Public Schools will open with a teacher in every classroom on the first day of school, Aug. 22, 2016. For the second year in a row, the district was successful in its efforts to ensure that every child has a qualified teacher in every classroom when school opens next week – in spite of the ongoing teacher shortage in Oklahoma.  

 “Every student in Tulsa deserves nothing less than a quality teacher in her classroom from the first day of school on,” said Gist. “Our team was tireless in their efforts to hire and place great educators into our schools and classrooms. This was truly a collaborative effort among everyone on our team, and they worked tirelessly to fill every teacher vacancy.”

School leaders and Talent Management staff worked together throughout the summer months to identify strong candidates for the district’s vacant teaching positions. This year, Tulsa Public Schools had about 286 vacancies to fill, compared with 499 the previous year. The district currently has about 2,800 certified teaching positions. 

Gist said: “It should be a given that school districts fill all teaching positions by the start of the school year. Unfortunately, Oklahoma’s teacher shortage has made this particularly difficult. It’s remarkable that our team was able to make this happen. Tulsa Public Schools is the destination for extraordinary educators, and word is spreading about the wonderful opportunities here. We encourage anyone interested in making a difference in the lives of Tulsa children to consider applying to join our team.”

Tulsa Public Schools continues to search for great talent.  Apply today at tulsaschools.org/careers.   For more information about Tulsa Public Schools, please visit http://www.tulsaschools.org.