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John Rex Charter School presents renewal materials; board will review application before possible June action
Summary
John Rex Charter School gave an informational presentation on its renewal application, highlighting growth in enrollment, downtown partnerships and academic trends; OKCPS staff will evaluate the renewal application and return a recommendation to the board for potential action next month.
John Rex Charter School representatives presented an information-only report to the OKCPS board about the school’s operations, enrollment growth and academic indicators as part of the charter renewal process.
The presenter said John Rex was established in 2014, has expanded to pre-K through eighth grade and this year crossed 800 students for the first time; the speaker reported average daily membership of 793 and said the school had 505 students on a wait list for pre-K through fifth grade. The representative described downtown partnerships (including access to the botanical gardens, the downtown library and Scissortail Park) and said the school’s state report card had shown “A” and “B” letter grades in recent years.
Presenter comments flagged two academic concerns: chronic absenteeism (a drop from a C to a D on that indicator) and a drop in performance during the fourth-to-fifth-grade transition, partly attributable to attrition of gifted students leaving after fourth grade. The representative said Classen was a common destination for departing students and described retention and recruitment efforts. The presentation also noted demographic shifts: roughly 35% Hispanic, 30% white, 14% Black and about 13% of students identified for special education services.
Jason Mack explained the renewal timeline under OKCPS policy I-22: John Rex submitted a notice of intent and a renewal application; the application will be evaluated by an internal committee and staff will present a recommendation to Superintendent Polk before the board considers action, likely in June. No board action was taken Tuesday; the item will return to the board next month for possible vote.
