OASSP / OMLEA Association Updates

Will Parker, OASSP/OMLEA Executive Director

Membership

For the 2022-2023 membership year, we currently have 916 secondary members, an increase of 64 members since the last update to CEC and 26 members more than our 2021-22 membership of 890. We are excited to be a part of reaching CCOSA’s goal of 3,000 active members.

OASSP President-Elect Update

Congratulations to Mr. Matt Johnson, Principal of Shawnee High School, who won the majority of votes for this year's OASSP President-Elect Election. Current OASSP President Randy Biggs will present Mr. Johnson's election results to membership at the June CCOSA Summer Leadership Conference OASSP Business Breakfast with a request for approval. At that time, current OASSP President-Elect Melissa Barlow will transition to OASSP President for 2023-24, and Matt would begin service in his new role beginning with the new school year calendar, pending approvals at the June meeting.

OASSP President and State Coordinator Attend National Advocacy Conference

During the week of March 27-29, OASSP President Randy Biggs, principal of Frederick High School, and NASSP State Coordinator Chris LeGrande, principal of Guthrie High School, joined over 400 administrators and state executive directors in Washington D.C. for the National School Leaders Advocacy Conference hosted by NASSP and NAESP. Our contingent of Oklahoma school leaders also included OAESP members Mr. Glen Abshere, OAESP Executive Director; Julie Bloss, Principal of Grove Early Childhood Center; Janalyn Taylor, Principal of Nance Elementary School, Clinton Public Schools; and Traci Newell, Principal of Elgin Elementary School. We conducted successful meetings with six of the seven Oklahoma congressional members and/or staffers. The three-day conference included sessions on crafting personal stories to share with congressional delegates and utilizing various social media platforms to make our voices ring loud and clear. The final conference session was highlighted by a keynote address from the United States Deputy Secretary of Education, Cindy Marten.

The wisdom acquired during the training sessions was put to practical use as school leaders converged on Capitol Hill to meet with their elected officials to advocate for mental health support for students, educators, and staff, increased Title II funding to strengthen professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators, and additional money to enhance the teacher/principal pipeline. A special thank you to Dr. Jeanene Barnett for scheduling meetings with Congressional offices for the team visits!

Assistant Principal of the Year Timothy Ray Goes to Washington, D.C.

On April 22-25, 2023, Mr. Timothy Ray, Assistant Principal at Charles Page High School, Sand Springs Public Schools, 2022-23 Oklahoma Assistant Principal of the Year, was recognized at an event by the National Association of Secondary School Principals in Washington, D.C. NASSP’s Trailblazing Leadership Weekend honors all 2023 State Assistant Principals of the Year and the 25 2023 NHS Student Scholarship Finalists. The program not only saluted these school and student leaders but also provided a forum for current and past honorees to advocate for education and share best practices and expertise.

As assistant principal for the past ten years at Charles Page High School, Mr. Ray has been an integral part in shaping school culture, supporting student learning, and transforming student behavior outcomes. For the past three years, Mr. Ray has implemented a new program, We Always Return with Purpose (WARP) as an alternative to long-term suspensions. Using the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, students return from a shortened suspension to attend 2 days of training, followed by monthly meetings with Mr. Ray. As a result, the school has reduced long-term suspensions (10 days or more) from an average of 24 per year to five on average. Only 5% of students in the WARP program have had subsequent behaviors requiring long-term suspension. CCOSA will also recognize Mr. Ray at the CCOSA Summer Leadership Conference, June 2023. ■

OMLEA Update

Membership

OMLEA membership is based on members of CCOSA’s associations who also self-select to become the Oklahoma Middle Level Association alongside their other CCOSA memberships. For 2022-23, we currently have 708 members, which is a 71-member increase from the last report and an increase of 56 from our 2021-22 total membership of 652 educators. OMLEA shares members mostly from among our elementary and secondary groups, including 241 assistant principals, 416 principals, and 51 directors, coordinators or superintendent members. We are excited that CCOSA has reached its goal of 3,000 active members for 2022-23!

Principals and Special Education Directors Day at the Capitol

On March 22, 2023, Principals & Special Education Directors attended CCOSA's Legislative Briefing and Principals & Special Education Directors Day at the Capitol. Attendees received legislative updates from CCOSA and OSSBA. Afterwards, Dr. Jeanene Barnett, CCOSA's Legislation and Policy Analyst, gave a brief overview of Oklahoma school and funding and advocacy highlights. Attendees met with CCOSA's Lobbyist Megan Benn, who introduced them to Representative Mark McBride, in a private meeting at the state capitol. Principals and Special Education Directors met with various representatives and state senators throughout the morning. Afterwards, CCOSA hosted a luncheon with Dr. Pam Deering, Will Parker, Glen Abshere, Andrea Kunkel and participating members to share insights from their visits. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend!

OANHS Annual Convention

On Friday, April 14, 2023, Mustang High School hosted the first in-person event for the Oklahoma Association of National Honor Societies. Eleven Oklahoma schools represented with 120 students and teachers in attendance. Keynote speaker Timothy Alexander, from Birmingham, Alabama, spoke to students about his personal story of resilience and hope as the first paraplegic athlete in history to receive a full-ride athletic scholarship to an NCAA Division 1 college football program. Afterwards, students met in small groups to share ideas on fundraising and leadership. A special thank you to OANHS President Olivia Bennett from Mustang High School and OASSP/OMLEA member Assistant Principal Katie Korstjens at Mustang Middle School for serving as OANHS Treasurer.

OMLEA Pres-Elect Nominations

Elections for OMLEA President Elect are underway and include nominees Laura Bullock, Principal of Idabel Middle School and Traci Kay, Principal of Alcott Middle School, Norman Public Schools. We will update you soon with results! ■