Overview
Union Public Schools, Independent District #9, is a premiere Oklahoma school district, known for its excellence, pride and tradition. Its reputation is based on visionary curriculum, superb faculty and staff, award-winning fine arts programs, championship athletic and academic teams, outstanding facilities and a community that supports the school system.
Its strong sense of community is underscored in its theme, “Working to Form a More Perfect Union.”
Union is located approximately eight miles from downtown Tulsa, incorporating much of southeast Tulsa and a portion of northwest Broken Arrow. Union stands out among school districts because Union does not encompass a particular city. Instead, Union is the unifying organization within the community, providing activities for its families, a sense of pride, support and identity for its patrons.
At the center of the community – our Main Street, if you will – is the more than 14,000 students, 3-year-olds to 12th, who attend Union. Parents choose Union for its all-around excellence.
History
Union’s proud tradition began with its formation in 1919 when four rural communities – Alsuma, Boles, Mayo and McCollough – consolidated.
There were only four students in its first graduating class. Union’s original borders were much broader, extending as far northwest as 21st Street and South Yale. Those portions, however, were annexed by the Tulsa Public School District in the 1950s, making Union’s current northwest border 31st and Mingo Road.
During the next 20 years, enrollment gradually increased and new programs were added. Then, Tulsa’s development rapidly spread toward the southeast, leading to new office and home construction and a burst of growth for Union. In 1968, there were 800 students in the entire district. In 1995, that number grew to 11,500 and to more than 14,000 in 2010.
Today Union is the ninth largest district in the state with 19 school sites.
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Facilities
Union has an Early Childhood Center for 3-year-old students, 13 elementary schools, a 6th/7th Grade Center, an 8th Grade Center, an Intermediate High School, an Alternative School and a High School for juniors and seniors. Union also provides services for community-based health care and adult education.
A strong corporate tax base and patrons who consistently pass bond issues have helped Union to build spacious, well-equipped facilities including the Performing Arts Center in the High School. The Union Multipurpose Activity Center, 6836 S. Mingo Road, is a state-of-the art building which houses the 6,000 seat John Q. Hammons Arena, fine arts and athletic offices, classrooms, the SouthCrest Wellness and Sports Medicine Center, and the UWear Spirit Store. The UMAC also hosts a number of community events and even college-level games.
Other outstanding facilities include Union-Tuttle Stadium at the High School and a 3-meter swimming pool with a seating capacity of 400 at the 6th/7th Grade Center, a new soccer complex at the Union 8th Grade Center. A modern baseball/softball complex and Challenge Adventure Ropes Course – one of the largest and best outdoor, experience-based education programs in the state – can be found at Union Intermediate High School.
Programs
Art, music and physical education enrich the traditional curriculum at all levels. Professionals in remedial reading, speech therapy and special education are assigned to every, school along with library media specialists, certified school nurses and counselors.
Each year, Union has an impressive number of National Merit Scholars and its graduating classes receives millions of dollars in scholarships to colleges and universities throughout the country. More than 93 percent of Union graduates plan to pursue some form of higher education. Union is a leader when it comes to national certification of its teachers, and other schools look to Union as a model for its progressive programs including its Character Counts!, burgeoning Community Schools Initiative and its Early Head Start programs.
Union has stellar athletic programs, featuring athletes who consistently rank among the nation’s best from football to wrestling to track. In 2010, Union's athletic program was named School of the Year.
Union’s spirit programs are also top notch. Varsity Cheerleaders, Pom and Highsteppers consistently make waves on the state and national scene. In February 2010, the Union Varsity Cheerleaders won the Universal Cheerleaders Association National Championship at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, beating 16 other teams in the Super Varsity division. Union students also excel in fine arts, winning state and national accolades in marching band, music, visual arts, and drama.
Union’s long-range plan for instructional technology gives students on all grade levels the opportunity to work with computers and other technology to enhance reading, language, math, science and writing skills. Video production studios at all school sites allow students to showcase their creativity.
Courses for gifted students are offered at all levels, with enrichment specialists at all the elementary schools. A wide-range of Advanced Placement and Pre-AP courses are available at the secondary schools. A partnership with Tulsa Community College offers concurrent enrollment, enabling students to earn both high school and college credits at the same time.
In 2009, Union launched the Union Collegiate Academy - an invitation-only High school program providing a five-point, one-hour class addressing a myriad of topics such as college selection and scholarship research, project-based learning, professional dress and etiquette, and public relations and leadership skills introducing students to different academic disciplines led by instructors from area colleges.
Union offers all-day kindergarten and all-day programs for 4-year-olds at every school site, as well as a program for more than 200 3-year-old students at the new Rosa Parks Early Childhood Education Center.
The FOCUS program to help with algebra and English, tutoring, before-and-after school programs, and academic camps provide students with convenient remediation and/or enrichment opportunities.
Union also offers leadership programs, professional development for teachers, student assistance programs, drug-free youth programs, early childhood services and nationally-ranked alternative education programs.
Union is accredited by the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the North Central Accreditation Association. Its accreditation process, involving parents, teachers and administrators at each site, is considered a model for other school districts.
Parent and Community Involvement
Union is part of a community that consistently supports the school system. More than 2,000 volunteers from throughout the community work in its schools. You too can Be There for our students!
The PTA (Parent Teacher Association) is active in all the schools and works with Union to provide equipment and scholarships for students and supplies for teachers. The Union Schools Education Foundation, which was established in 1991, raises and distributes funds to teachers for classroom-based projects. In addition, a number of parents are active in booster clubs for athletics and spirit programs, as well as band, music and drama.
A community partnership with the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Tulsa has allowed Union to open three health clinics - an employee clinic and school-based clinics at Rosa Parks and Roy Clark Elementary Schools. The clinics provide preventative health care, physical exams, immunizations and same-day treatment for a host of common ailments and typical childhood illnesses. Students and their families are eligible for care, whether they have insurance or not. For those who are uninsured, the services are free. The clinics have helped to curb absenteeism, promote good health, and encourage good grades.
The Community Action Project partners with Union to provide the program for three year-olds, while the Community Service Council, the City/County Health Department and a number of organizations such as the YMCA and Boy Scouts of America team with the district to offer a variety of services and programs.
Mission
It is our mission to provide our community of learners with educational opportunities to acquire and develop the best possible academic, vocational, recreational, social and participatory skills, enabling them to become valued, contributing members of a changing global society.
Our Goals
- Academic excellence for all students
- Preparation of students for positive citizenship
- A positive educational environment in which students, parents, community and staff assume responsibility for their role in the learning process
- District excellence for all employees
- Expanded opportunities for learning
- Increased use of technology
- Enhanced Union pride
- Support base to include patrons, partnerships and community resources
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