Lawton Public Schools

Lawton Public Schools continues the search process for the next superintendent to replace Dr.  Tom Deighan, who took the position as Duncan Superintendent this past July.

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Currently serving as interim superintendent is Dr. Tom Thomas, who is the former Great Plains Technology Center superintendent. \r\n

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LPS Board of Education members approved a proposal at the June 3 board meeting allowing the Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA) to conduct the search and serve as a consultant to the district.\r\n

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The district committee consisting of board members Patty Neuwirth, Kent Jester, Lynn Cordes (executive director of Communications), Stephanie Hyder (OSSBA) and Dr. Tom Thomas set a timeline for the search starting with the opening the online survey available Aug. 26. The survey can be found on the LPS website – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2020LawtonSuptSearch. \r\n

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“The online survey will allow those that are unable to attend one of the public forums to share their input,” Thomas said. “The questions are geared toward what stakeholders feel are qualities and abilities they want to see in the next superintendent.”\r\n

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Three forums are planned for Thursday, Oct. 24. A representative of OSSBA will moderate the sessions. 

-2 pm (Shoemaker Education Center, 753 NW Fort Sill Blvd - Open to Public)
-4:30 pm (Lawton High School Auditorium, 601 NW Fort Sill Blvd - LPS Staff)
- 6 pm (Lawton High School Auditorium, Open to Public)

Each session is expected to last about an hour and participants are asked to bring their smartphone or tablet.\r\n

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“Our public school system is a very important part of our community and its health and condition has a great effect on the quality of life here now and in the future,” said Jester. “As we go through the process of hiring our top district administrator, we need to have a clear understanding of the needs and desires of all stakeholders, parents, students, administrators, teachers, staff, and the general public. We will use the information gathered by these means to help us score the applicants and to help us develop the questions we will use during the interview stages.”

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The application period for the Superintendent’s position is Sept. 30 – Nov. 8, 2019.  Interested candidates can apply on the OSSBA website https://www.ossba.org/.\r\n

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The board hopes to select a successful applicant by January 2020 with the official start date no later than July 1, 2020. \r\n

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