Teachers Could Be Reassigned As School Board Considers Options for U.S. Grant High School

By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY – The majority of teachers at U.S. Grant High School could be reassigned as the Oklahoma City School Board considers options for improving the struggling southside school.

The school board met Monday to discuss their options for restructuring high school. The district is being forced to develop an action plan for the school after Grant High School failed to reach a federally mandated benchmark known as the annual yearly progress four years in a row.

"It is abundantly clear to everybody that it's time for Oklahoma City public schools to take some bold action as far as school improvement," Superintendent Karl Springer said.

The district is considering four options, which could be eligible for funding from a federal grant.

The turn-around model would consist of removing the principal and a majority of faculty. This model attracted national attention after a superintendent in Rhode Island announced she was firing all of the teachers at a poor-performing high school.

If Oklahoma City adopts the turn-around model, the principal and teachers would be reassigned within the district.

The district other options include closing the school down and sending students elsewhere or turning U.S. Grant High School into a charter school.

"Probably the boldest action that we can see is the turn-around model," Superintendent Karl Springer said.

Superintendent Springer did not make any final recommendations yet and said he wants to get public feedback before he makes a final decision.

U.S. Grant High School had the largest number of students drop out in 2009. Grant High School reported 126 student dropouts last year. Other high schools reported the following numbers:

• Northeast HS: 0
• Spencer HS: 4
• Douglass HS: 4
• Capitol Hill HS: 99
• Southeast HS: 14
• Classen HS: 0
• Northwest Classen: 59
• John Marshall HS: 2
• Centennial HS: 27
• Emerson Alternative School: 39