Apr. 20—Janet Vinson, Stillwater Public Schools Chief Human Resources Officer, is moving into the assistant superintendent position in July, pending approval from the Stillwater Board of Education.
In her new role, Vinson will oversee SPS departments responsible for the district's curriculum, counseling, special education, health services and federal programs.
"I'm excited to build upon the solid foundation that (current assistant superintendent) Dr. (Cathy) Walker has built," Vinson said. "I look forward to fostering strong communication with parents, teachers, post-secondary education partners and the community."
Walker accepted the superintendent role at Newcastle.
Vinson brings educator and administrator experience to her new role after serving one year in her current one.
She served in various positions over the past 30 years, including classroom teacher, assistant principal, associate superintendent of instruction, superintendent of Broken Arrow Public Schools and Deputy Superintendent of Teacher Recruitment and Retention at the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
She holds a bachelor's in English education, a master's in school leadership and a doctorate in curriculum and educational leadership — all from Oklahoma State University.
Looking back at her experiences as an educator and administrator, Vinson said most people want the same results from schools but sometimes differ in opinions of how to achieve the results.
"Respectful communication and showing grace for one another allows us to meet in the middle," Vinson said. "If community leaders and industry, the city leaders, the chamber and the school systems collaborate, it means world-class opportunities for our students."
Any concerns she sees in education today are the same as they were in 2006 when she became a school administrator.
"We need a fully-funded education system that allows us to pay our staff and provide everything children need to be successful," Vinson said. "Since I started my administrative career we have never been fully-funded as set forth in House Bill 1017."
House Bill 1017, the Education Reform Act of 1990, funded a broad range of education initiatives through increased taxes.
Another issue she feels that most educators will agree on is revisiting graduation requirements for Oklahoma students.
"We continue to add more and more to our students' plates, but we never take anything away," Vinson said. "We can be leaders in the nation if we truly examine what we are asking of our students and prepare them for the future instead of a past that no longer exists."