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During the school board meeting on Monday evening, long-time veteran school superintendent, Dr. Gary W. Quinn, announced his retirement from the Bartlesville Public Schools effective at the end of his contract on June 30, 2016.

Dr. Quinn is in his seventeenth year of serving as superintendent for Bartlesville Public Schools.  That makes him tied for the longest serving superintendent in Bartlesville’s history.  Currently, he is also the longest-tenured superintendent in his present position of any large 6A school in the state of Oklahoma. 

Throughout Dr. Quinn’s 39-year career, he has served in many roles including teacher, coach, assistant professor at colleges, assistant dean of students at a college, an adjunct graduate college instructor, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent.

During his time in Bartlesville, Dr. Quinn has worked with 30 different school board members, scores of administrators, hundreds of teachers and support staff, and thousands of students.  He has also had the pleasure of interacting with countless members of the community during his time as superintendent.

Throughout Quinn's leadership, there have been many successes. One of the most visible is the improved facilities.  During Dr. Quinn's tenure, the community passed five successful bond issues totaling over $115,000,000.  In the course of this time, almost every school site has been significantly renovated or expanded.  This includes the most recent $20,000,000 Freshman Academy addition at Bartlesville High School and the $12,000,000 renovation presently underway at venerable Central Middle School. 

Quinn oversaw Bartlesville High School grow into a four-year school site with the additions of the Fine Arts Center, Field House, Science Wing, Library/Media Center, increased parking lots, several improvements to Custer Stadium, Indoor Practice Facility, Freshman Center, Commons/Cafeteria, North Science Wing Addition, Phillips 66 Innovation Lab, and many more renovations and updates to the facility during his time as superintendent.

Additionally, over the past 17 years, the school district developed a focus on improving student achievement by improving instruction. The school district has developed a process to create a prescriptive plan for each student who needs academic assistance. To support this process, the professional development, book studies, and training invested in the staff are aligned with a limited number of district initiatives that support that singular focus of student achievement.

This academic plan has assisted the district in becoming an extremely high-performing school district.  The district’s A-F grades and the state's previous Academic Performance Index (API) indicate that Bartlesville Schools score among the top in the state.

During Dr. Quinn’s tenure, the district has incorporated several initiatives including moving to full-day kindergarten and full-day pre-kindergarten.  BPSD has been honored as the only Great Expectations Model District in the nation. In addition, the district has developed a systematic approach to developing a budget focused on the mission of the district and has become more efficient by reducing three school sites and selling four former school sites. 

Dr. Quinn has said that “the focus on our students’ success is the driving force for which we exist.”

"The reason for our success is that we have had great people with which to work,” he says.   “We have had tremendous school board members focused on students.  Our teachers and staff are caring professionals, working hard every day for the success of our students.  We have the best students in the state.  Our parents and community members are truly supportive of our school district and help us succeed.  It has been a privilege to have served the students and community of Bartlesville the past 17 years."

Dr. Quinn’s retirement plans call for spending time with family including his first two grandchildren to be born this spring.  He wants to continue investing in young school leaders by teaching college classes, writing, training, and consulting.  In addition, he and his wife, Julia, look forward to traveling and going on mission trips.

He will complete his contract on June 30, 2016.