Bartlesville Board of Education is deserving of accolades

(Published Sunday, Jan. 27, 2007 in Examiner-Enterprise)

On Monday, we held a special ceremony for a very special person.

Harvey Little, who has served as a member of the Bartlesville Board of Education since 2004, was honored shortly before he attended his final full board meeting later that day. He retired from his Office 5 seat and will be replaced by Tyler Vaclaw, who is scheduled to be sworn in as a board member on Feb. 7 during a special meeting at the Education Service Center.

Though I have no doubt that Mr. Vaclaw will quickly become a valued and distinguished member of the board, Mr. Little will be sorely missed. His experience in leadership positions was a tremendous asset to all of us. A former member of the Bartlesville city council, Mr. Little once served as mayor.

In one way, the time in which Mr. Little made his exit from the board is fitting. Though we are quickly making our way toward February, January is National School Board Recognition Month. Thus, while we were able to give Mr. Little a nice going away reception, we have the opportunity to honor all of those who nobly serve in this volunteer capacity.

With Mr. Little's retirement, the seven-member Bartlesville Board of Education currently consists of president Barry W. Lowe, vice president Marta Manning, clerk Charlie Daniels and members Jim Grillot, Doug Divelbiss, Sam Springer and now Mr. Vaclaw. Each member brings his or her special skill set to the board and works to the best of their abilities to ensure that we have the finest school district possible. Our slogan for the 2007-08 academic year is “Excellence in Education.” And thanks to the work of our valued board members, our students, teachers and administrators are given the best possible opportunity to achieve greatness.

Our school board helped us pass bond issues in 2001 as well as 2007 which have led to fine new additions on the Bartlesville High School campus such as the Science Wing, the Field Arts Center , the BHS Fieldhouse and the Library/Media Center, which debuted earlier this month. We have added a connecting link which joins all of the BHS facilities together as well as an energy efficient cooling and heating system. The people of this community demand the best education possible for their students – in a stellar learning environment – and that is what we have sought to deliver under the valued guidance of our school board.

Thanks to the 2007 school bond issue, we will soon make additions and renovations at three elementary schools – Ranch Heights , Wayside and Woodrow Wilson – as well as at the Bartlesville Mid-High School.

Under the school board's leadership, we continue to build upon a solid foundation of academic excellence. Test scores are rising throughout the district. When the Oklahoma State Department of Education recently released the Academic Performance Index scores for 2007, we found that virtually every school within the Bartlesville Public School District increased its scores. And while the average API score throughout the state was a 1,252, our district compiled a sterling cumulative tally of 1,347. Two of our elementary schools – Hoover and Jane Phillips – were recognized by the Oklahoma State Department of Education with prestigious Academic Achievement Awards.

Our board president since 2004, Mr. Lowe has been a member of the board since 2001 in his Office 7 seat. Mrs. Manning is our longest-tenured board member, having served since 1991 from Office 3. Mr. Daniels (Office 2) was elected to the board in 2002. Mr. Grillot (Office 1) has been a board member since 2005 while Mr. Divelbiss (Office 4) has served since 2006. Mr. Springer (Office 6) joined the ranks last year while we're preparing to welcome Mr. Vaclaw to the group.

All told, there are more than 2,700 local school board members throughout the great state of Oklahoma . However, I can't think of a group that I'd rather have than this one. Their chief goal is always to find the best way possible to provide the finest educational opportunities to each and every one of our students. Within the Bartlesville Public School District, we are thankful for their time and effort.