Board grants full accreditation to Green Country and Southern Oklahoma technology centers

The Oklahoma CareerTech State Board voted to grant full accreditation to Green Country Technology Center (Okmulgee) and Southern Oklahoma Technology Center (Ardmore) after accreditation examiners reported no areas of noncompliance.

Joey Vanek, accreditation manager, told the board that Green Country's hybrid accreditation review included 23 examiners and interviews with 17 stakeholders; examiners recommended full accreditation and required each center to submit action plans for identified opportunities for improvement. For Southern Oklahoma Technology Center, the team included 28 examiners and interviews with 15 stakeholders; examiners likewise found no noncompliance and recommended full accreditation.

Representatives from both centers addressed the board. Roger (Green Country) described rapid enrollment growth at his campus over three years — roughly a 70% overall increase and a 115% increase in junior and senior enrollment — and said the center now serves about 35% of juniors and seniors across its eight sending schools. Roger and his staff said waiting lists and capacity constraints prompted board and staff discussion about using one-time funds to hire additional instructors and about a planned local ballot measure to raise building-fund mills to add space.

Green Country also described adding instructors in construction trades and cosmetology this year with one-time funding, and noted apprenticeships with local industry. Southern Oklahoma officials said their programs are expanding in response to local employer needs, including recent efforts to retrain displaced Michelin plant workers; the district reported having served several hundred Michelin employees through rapid-transition training and certifications.

Board members moved and approved both accreditations. Ashley called the roll for both votes; members recorded unanimous "yes" votes in the roll calls transcribed at the meeting.

The accreditation action requires each center to submit, within 90 days, continuous improvement action plans addressing one opportunity for improvement identified under each of the six quality standards. Agency staff will monitor those plans and provide technical assistance as needed.