BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Broken Arrow Superintendent Chuck Perry announced his plan to retire following the 2026-27 school year.
"I just felt like the timing was right where we are as a district, and I really wanted to give some time for a transition," Perry said.
WATCH: Broken Arrow Superintendent Chuck Perry announces retirement
Perry started teaching in BA back in 1992 and took over as superintendent in 2021.
"My wife and I both graduated from here, so this is home to me," Perry said.
During his time in education, Perry has seen the field, and perception of it, change drastically in those 30 plus years.
"You can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on curriculum and software and all sorts of things, but if you don't have a great teacher, it doesn't matter," Perry said.
His retirement comes at a time where the number of people questioning public education as a whole in Oklahoma continues to grow.
"We know we've got to get better," Perry said. "There's some things that we've got to work on and improve. We're not shying away from the thought that there's some people out there that are doing it better than us, and we're looking to improve every day."
Perry told 2 News there are a number of specific areas where education can continue working to get better.
"I think we're dealing with more mental health issues than we've ever seen before," Perry said. "And that's really been a challenge that we're not sure how to tackle."
The other big state-wide? School safety.
"We've tried to make it a place where there's order in schools where you've got a classroom where teachers can teach and students can learn," Perry said.
His message ahead of his final school year? Even though public perception of public schools may not be what it was when he started teaching three decades ago, things like increased enrollment and overwhelming bond support shows movement in the right direction.
"That's a telling sign to me that people support what we're doing," Perry said. "That doesn't mean we can't get better, but they see that the effort our staff is putting in day in and day out."
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