Actions

Data company names Jenks best school district in Oklahoma

Posted at 4:47 PM, Jan 19, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-19 19:04:30-05

JENKS, Okla. -- Jenks Public Schools is named the best district in the state.

The data gathering site Niche looked at state from the Department of Education, determining leaders in academics, staffing, and health. Teachers said they earned this title by staying current with technology.

"I have friends that teach within other districts in Tulsa and I know their technology is not up to date. We have smart boards, our students fifth grade and up have their own chrome books," Northwest elementary teacher Lynn Goodrich said.

Goodrich said support from the community brought stem labs into elementary schools. Some students said this is helping them figure out their future.

"In the STEM lab I might want to be a mechanical engineer because of all the stuff that they use and it's really fun," third grader Sophia Renfrow said.

Jenks will present a bond measure to voters next month. Over the years the community has passed 53 out of 54 proposals.

"That's how we get beautiful buildings, new buses, technology, the textbooks and curriculum that we need. We can't pay salaries out of that. A lot of people I have found, don't realize that you can't pay teacher salaries out of bond issue funds," Goodrich said.

Teachers said state budget cuts are the biggest challenge. As classroom sizes grow, they worry about giving students the personal attention some need. The staff tells us they're working to lessen the impact on students.

"I learned a lot this year. I never thought I could learn so much. It's been a really really good year," third grader Brooks Barber said.

February's bond measure asks the community for $14 million. This will go toward technology, expanding classrooms, and safety equipment.