Jarod Mendenhall, who was paid more than $100,000 so the Broken Arrow school district could end its relationship with him as superintendent mid-contract in 2016, has been hired as superintendent at Muskogee Public Schools.The Muskogee Phoenix newspaper reported Tuesday that Mendenhall, who worked for the past year with the Mesquite Independent School District in Texas, will start July 1. Superintendent Mike Garde announced his retirement in Feburary after 12 years.Cheryl Kelly, then-president of the Broken Arrow school board, told the Tulsa World that paying Mendenhall $103,100 was the least expensive way the district could sever ties with him because his employment contract at the time ran through June 30, 2019.Neither district representatives nor Mendenhall ever provided any explanation for what led to the separation, but Kelly ruled out anything related to the handling of district finances as the reason. The significance of the sudden departure was not lost on the Broken Arrow … [Read more...] about Former Broken Arrow superintendent Jarod Mendenhall to return to Oklahoma for top job at Muskogee Public Schools
When public school starts
Former Broken Arrow superintendent Jarod Mendenhall returns to Oklahoma for top job at Muskogee Public Schools
Jarod Mendenhall, who was paid more than $100,000 so the Broken Arrow school district could end its relationship with him as superintendent in 2016, has been hired as superintendent of Muskogee Public Schools.The Muskogee Phoenix newspaper reported Tuesday that Mendenhall, who worked for the past year with the Mesquite Independent School District in Texas, will start July 1. Superintendent Mike Garde had announced his retirement in Feburary after 12 years.Cheryl Kelly, then-president of the Broken Arrow school board, said in a previous interview that paying Mendenhall $103,100 was the least expensive way the district could sever ties with him.Neither the district nor Mendenhall ever provided an explanation for what led to the separation, but Kelly ruled out financial misgivings as the reason. The significance of the departure was not lost on the Broken Arrow community when the school board made the decision to pay two superintendent salaries for the first half of 2017.Mendenhall … [Read more...] about Former Broken Arrow superintendent Jarod Mendenhall returns to Oklahoma for top job at Muskogee Public Schools
If board approves, here’s when the last day of class for Tulsa Public Schools will be
Tulsa Public Schools will let out May 31 after closing for 11 school days due to a statewide teacher walkout, the district said Monday.The arrangement is pending Tulsa school board approval. The board's agenda for its Monday meeting has a scheduled vote on the amended school calendar.There will be no changes to the length of the school day under this proposed plan, the district said. Other area districts have added up to 30 minutes to their school days and gotten rid of late-start days that they had built into the calendar.TPS students, who return to school on Tuesday, will begin their state testing Wednesday at the earliest, a news release said. The Oklahoma State Department of Education extended the mandated testing window for extra week, allowing the window to run until April 27. … [Read more...] about If board approves, here’s when the last day of class for Tulsa Public Schools will be
John Klein: Orange is the new Black author says invest in public schools
Piper Kerman had some simple and very relevant advice for Oklahomans: build schools, not prisons.“More of us need to start thinking critically about the preponderance of prisons and jails,” she said. “We need to be making an investment in our public schools. Both of them (schools and prisons) are public institutions and we should decide where our taxes are going. We are the most incarcerated society in human history."Kerman, the author of the best-selling book “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison”, gave an deeply personal speech at the Tulsa Town Hall speaker series on Friday at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.It was the final event of the current season that also included astronaut Mark Kelly, NFL concussion expert Dr. Bennet Omalu, actress Laura Linney and travel expert Rudy Maxa.Kerman, who grew up middle class and was educated at Smith College, was convicted after carrying what turned out to be drug money from Chicago to Europe … [Read more...] about John Klein: Orange is the new Black author says invest in public schools
Bold idea: homeless shelter at San Francisco public school for students, families
By Jill Tucker Updated 6:00 am, Wednesday, April 11, 2018 Photo: Michael Macor / The Chronicle Image 1of/1 CaptionClose Image 1 of 1 Buy photo Principal Richard Zapien and other officials are promoting the idea of a shelter in a gym at Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 school in San Francisco’s Mission District for homeless students and their families. Principal Richard Zapien and other officials are promoting the idea of a shelter in a gym at Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 school in San Francisco’s Mission District for homeless students and their families. Photo: Michael Macor / The Chronicle Buy this photo Bold idea: homeless shelter at San Francisco public school for students, families 1 / 1 Back to Gallery San Francisco city and school officials are looking to open a first-of-its-kind homeless shelter at a … [Read more...] about Bold idea: homeless shelter at San Francisco public school for students, families