Who Funds OPSRC, and Why Do They Do It?
Our executive director explains our funders and why they support our mission.
March 30, 2016
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Our executive director explains our funders and why they support our mission.
**This post has been updated to reflect our current board members (10-16-18)
As I travel the state and meet with school leaders, I am often asked a variation of the question “who funds you and why do they do it?” I am always happy to answer this question and would like to take a moment to share my answer on our blog. As you can see on our website here, the OPSRC receives financial support from the following organizations:
These four foundations provided the funding to start the organization, and they each nominate a representative on the OPSRC’s board. These board members can be found our website here, but I’ll list them out in the blog as well:
Robert J. Ross Chair
President and CEO | Inasmuch Foundation and Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation
Ben Stewart
Senior Program Officer | George Kaiser Family Foundation
Scott Smith
Executive Director | Arkansas Public School Resource Center
Tracy McDaniel
School Leader | KIPP Reach College Prep
Tyler Norvell
Executive Director | Oklahoma Youth Expo
Lee Denney
State Director for USDA Rural Development in Oklahoma | United States Department of Agriculture
Adrian Beverage Treasurer
Government Relations Director, Chief Lobbyist | Oklahoma Bankers Association
Jay Chapman
President | Digimedia
As the executive director of the OPSRC, I report to the board, and we meet on a quarterly basis. Perhaps the most common question I get after highlighting the foundations and board members of the OPSRC is a variation of “why do these foundations and individuals support the OPSRC?” or put another way, “what’s the ulterior motive behind the OPSRC?” I think that this is a completely fair question to ask, and it’s one that I asked three years ago when I applied to be the executive director. This is the answer that I was told then and that I provide today: the four foundations supporting the OPSRC advocate for many different topics and issues, but they have a few common threads:
Many folks point out that the different foundations have varying agendas and approaches to improving public education in the state of Oklahoma, and I don’t disagree—if you visit the websites for the four foundations, you can see that each has its own distinct mission, but they all share a goal of improving public education in the state of Oklahoma.
I hope this helps shed light on the OPSRC. In future posts, I plan to elaborate on our mission and how we’re working to provide resources and support for public schools across our great state. Thanks for your interest!
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The school year is over, summer break has begun and teachers all over are getting a well-deserved break. I hope that you get the rest and relaxation you need to recharge your batteries! If there’s one thing I’ve learned in education, however, it’s that teachers don't really take summer off.
Consider involving teachers in the planning process as much as possible to honor the experience, expertise, and knowledge your staff has.
Hard to believe it is already that wonderful time of the year again! But for many, this is also the time of looking ahead to next year: planning the calendar and ensuring what new ideas you implemented this year are in place as part of next year's normal routine.
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