It is amazing to think that the 2023-2024 school year is coming to an end! This year has been a success in many ways. One of those ways is our bond projects. Projects from our last bond election are nearing completion around the district. Our turf project at the TMS/THS field has been completed for months and is used by students and the community. The Greenwood parking lot is complete and has made an enormous difference in the flow of traffic at that site. The indoor athletic facility and the new library renovation at Cherokee Elementary are complete and are stunning. The Cherokee office addition and additional student bathrooms will be finished in June. The additional classrooms that will also double as a storm shelter at Greenwood should be complete by August. A single occupancy restroom will be constructed at THS as well as other bathroom remodels. We will begin a series of smaller renovations around the district now to complete all the planned projects.
We are in the beginning phase of planning for the next bond election. We are tentatively planning for a Fall of 2026 bond proposition. Large bonds take years to plan for! We will begin discussing potential projects that our district administration know we need or want. We will soon be forming a community stakeholder group to give us input on what they want to see TPS look like in the future. One project that is important to us is the renovation of the Central building. This building is steeped in history of our town and school district. This year marks the 100-year birthday of this facility. We imagine this building remodeled to serve as an Education Service Center. This space would house the board of education staff, personnel, technology services, among other staff. It will have classroom space and be utilized for other community partner offices, board meetings, a professional development center for our district and to share with other community schools and spaces for students to attend speakers or workshops. The possibilities and dreams are endless. There are many other needs across our district, and we will use community input to help us plan for a bright future! Community support in bond elections is imperative to school district improvement and student success.
May 6-10th Is Teacher Appreciation Week! At TPS, we honor ALL school employees this week. We are honored to celebrate the fine men and women who work in our district every day. At each school site, our teachers work countless hours to plan for and deliver high quality instruction, form positive relationships with every student and create a classroom atmosphere where every student feels welcomed and loved. Each school site also is led by an administrative team of principals, counselors and office staff that keep all the pieces together everyday for hundreds of students. Each site has specials staff, librarians, special education staff, nurses, paraprofessionals, custodians, cafeteria staff and SROs that are integral in making the school experience a positive and safe one for every student. We have a phenomenal transportation department that safely drives our students every day. We have the best maintenance, grounds, child nutrition, personnel, technology, finance, and enrollment staff! We are thankful for our outreach staff and district administrative staff and proud of what they do every day for kids. It has been said it takes a village to raise a child. That is absolutely true about a quality education for a child as well. I feel confident in saying the talented, caring, and diligent staff at TPS is the best around!
It is my honor to lead Tahlequah Public Schools. As always, if you have any comments, questions, or concerns, I am available. You may contact me by phone at 918.458.4100 or by email at jonest@tahlequahschools.org. Thank you and remember, “Once a Tiger, always a Tiger!”
Written by Tanya Jones/Superintendent