Ponca City district reports hiring improvements, internship growth and summer construction plans
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Summary
Superintendent reported fewer openings than last year, a growing internship program with 176 students signed up, an open athletic trainer position, a July 9 indoor-facility ribbon and planned retaining-wall and roofing projects.
Ponca City Public Schools staff told the board that hiring is improving compared with last year, that the district’s internship program continues to grow, and that several capital projects are scheduled this summer.
The superintendent reported 27 new hires on board to date this year compared with 32 at the same time last year and said the district currently has 15 openings versus 27 the prior year. The district identified several hard-to-fill roles, notably an athletic trainer position the superintendent said the district has sought to fill for five years.
On student pathways, the superintendent said 176 students have signed up for internships next year through the district’s continuing internship program supported by a Ponca City Development Authority contract; the superintendent compared that with about 40 students in 2021 and described the program as maturing.
Facilities work this summer includes an indoor facility with a ribbon-cutting scheduled for July 9 at 4 p.m. (the superintendent said the space is not fully air-conditioned but doors and fans will be used at the ribbon event), an east-campus retaining wall at East Middle School on Sixth Street expected to continue into the school year but not to disrupt operations, and a set of roofing repairs and overlays that the district expects to complete after board contract approvals.
The superintendent also reported that a statewide safety-app contract was ultimately funded by a legislative appropriation to the state agency, covering the app for the next four years and relieving the district of that immediate cost. Staff said opioid-abatement grant funds and other state grant opportunities are being evaluated; a staff member (Kate Presnell, assistant principal) was identified to lead a potential grant application for substance-abuse alternatives to long suspensions. The superintendent said the district will continue to bring staffing updates and project cost information back to the board for decisions.