Welcome to
Union Public Schools!

Union Public Schools, whose 19 sites are located in portions of SE Tulsa and NW Broken Arrow, has an enrollment of about 16,000 students. The number of businesses, higher education, foundation, and community partnerships investing in the district’s key areas of emphasis -- Early Childhood Education, Community Schools, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Curriculum, and College/Career Readiness remains constant.

The district slogan, “Together We Make a Difference,” continues to be underscored as student engagement continued to soar, and great strides were made toward accomplishing Union’s mission – To Graduate 100 Percent of Our Students College and/or Career Ready.  Download brochure.

Core Values

The following core values serve to guide our strategic focus and actions in accomplishing our mission:

• Commitment to Excellence –Pursue the highest measure of quality in all that we do.
• Collegiality - Demonstrate respect and an ability to work as team members.
• Honesty, Integrity, Transparency – Do what’s right and above board.
• Innovation – Embrace new, effective thinking and programs.
• Inclusiveness – Cultivate an organizational culture of accepting children, families, and employees for who they are rather than categorizing them by income, ethnicity, or ability.
• Empowerment – Help people reach their full potential.
• Accountability – Accept responsibility for achieving results.
• Thoughtful Planning – Use data and district values in planning and decision making.

Strategic Goals 

These strategic goals in the following focus areas provide guidance for leadership, policy decisions, and development of initiatives, programs, and strategies to achieve our mission. See Strategic Plan

• Learning
  -Ensure that all students – through greater personalization -- have access to a high-quality instructional and educational environment that prepares them for college or a career.
  - Enhance the communication, advocacy, and engagement with our students and families.
  - Close achievement gaps for all learners.
• Teaching
  - Differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all students.
  - Promote ongoing professional learning for teachers and leaders.
  - Successfully implement the TLE Evaluation System and Oklahoma Academic Standards.
  - Use multiple measures for student success.
• Partnerships
  - Expand partnerships to enhance learning opportunities for student success and for greater human and organizational capital.
  -  Promote greater awareness and engagement among school stakeholders to enhance support and funding for public education.
• - Establish business and alumni partnerships in order to garner and sustain continued support for Union Public Schools.
• Human Capital
  - Recruit, develop, retain, and support caring, motivated, innovative professional faculty and staff.
• Business/Operations
  - Ensure the operating and capital budgets reflect our priorities as well as areas of focus and need.
  - Promote operational safety and high-quality infrastructure to ensure effective and efficient learning and working environments.
  - Maintain a technology system that promotes teaching/learning and efficiency within the operational functions of the organization.
• Culture
  - Foster an atmosphere of respect and effective communication.
  - Promote a commitment to equity and excellence.
  - Maintain a caring, professional, and ethical organization.
  - Maintain a safe and secure teaching and learning environment. 

District Focus

In order to fulfill our mission of graduating 100 percent of our students college and career ready, Union focuses on four main areas: Early Childhood Education, Community Schools, STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), and the Union Collegiate Academy Experience.

Accreditation

Union is accredited by the Oklahoma State Department of Education and AdvancED. Its accreditation process, involving parents, teachers and administrators at each site, is considered a model for other school districts.

Enrollment

Union has experienced significant growth in the past decade.  During the 2004-2005 school year, the district recorded total enrollment of 13,969. In 2016-2017, enrollment reached 15,960.  See Statistics and Annual Reports for a breakdown on specifics.

About the District

The eighth largest public school district in Oklahoma, Union has approximately 15,700 students, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, residing within a 28-square-mile boundary encompassing both southeast Tulsa and a portion of Broken Arrow.  The school system is the heart of the community and serves as a unifying force.  It includes an early childhood center for three-year-olds; 13 elementary schools pre-kindergarten through fifth grade including the brand new Ellen Ochoa Elementary School; and five secondary schools—a 6th/7th Grade Center, 8th Grade Center, 9th Grade Center, High School (Grades 10-12,) and an Alternative School for grades 9-12. 

In addition, Union's Adult Education Learning Center serves northeastern Oklahoma, offering GED classes, English as a Second Language and more.

Parents choose the Union district for its all-around excellence.  They take great pride in its wide-ranging, dynamic academic programs; award-winning activities; caring, talented teachers; highly respected elected and administrative leaders; and remarkable facilities.  Union is one of the leading districts in Oklahoma in the number of teachers earning National Board Certification and in number of Presidential Math and Science Award recipients.

Union’s Community Schools—elementary schools complete with health clinics and services from community agencies—serve as a model to other districts nationwide.  They increase academic success by forming community partnerships to provide extra supports such as early care, health and social services, out-of-school activities, family/community engagement, neighborhood development and lifelong learning.

In addition to challenging Pre-Advanced Placement (AP) classes, Union offers a variety of Advanced Placement classes which allow students to earn college credit while learning about a subject in depth.  In partnership with Tulsa Community College (TCC), Union was one of the first to pilot a unique concurrent enrollment program at the Union Collegiate Academy (UCA) on its High School campus, enabling qualifying students to earn both high school and college credits at the same time – virtually tuition free!  It has not been unusual for some to graduate with both a high school diploma and enough credits for an associate degree.

UCA provides students a challenging college-like experience with TCC instructors, tiered lecture halls, advanced science labs, student lounges, and specialty food shops, along with a safety net of high school staff members there to ensure their success.  Counselors in the UCA’s College and Career Center help students and their parents complete college entrance, financial aid, and scholarship applications or bank college credit through Tulsa Technology Center.  Students love the UCA’s online courses – Union Virtual Learning Academy –because of the flexibility they provide and because teachers are always there to assist.

The Union community provides whatever it takes to ensure all students graduate college/career ready. Successful bond issues have funded state-of-the-art tools to enhance reading, language, math, science, and writing skills at every grade level. Art, music, and physical education enrich the traditional curriculum. Professionals in remedial reading, speech therapy, and special education are assigned to the schools along with library media specialists, nurses, and counselors. Courses for gifted students are offered at all levels, as are programs for English Language Learners.

Students

• In 2018-2019, Union’s enrollment dropped slightly by 74 students. With a 0.5 percent decrease over the previous year, Union served 15,733 students – 7,536 at the elementary level and 8,237 in grades 6-12.
• Districtwide, 7,662 students were female and 8,111 male.
• English Learner (EL) services were provided to 2,643 elementary and 875 secondary students; 44 became English-proficient and exited the program. Our diverse population spoke more than 50 different languages. An estimated 20 percent of Union students were not fluent in English.
• In terms of racial origin, 4.5 percent were American Indian/Alaska Native, 14.7 percent were African-American, 9.0 percent were multi-racial, 0.2 percent were Pacific Islander/Hawaiian, 7.2 percent were Asian, 29.4 percent were Caucasian, and 35.0 percent were of Hispanic ethnicity.
• There were 2,957 identified gifted students in grades 1-12, served by a variety of courses and programs.
• Of the 2019 graduating seniors, 545 took the ACT with an average composite score of 20.5.; and 1,054 took the SAT with an average total score of 954.
• More than 12.2 percent, or 1,929 of our students, were enrolled in special education.
• English Learner (EL) services were provided to 2,632 elementary and 989 secondary students; of these students, 208 became English-proficient and exited the program. Our diverse population spoke more than 60 different languages.  An estimated 23 percent of Union students were classified as English Learners.
• There were more than 1,000 students (grades Pre-K-7) enrolled in Union’s Extended Day Program, Fall Break Camp, Spring Break Camp, and nine weeks of Summer Camp at Grove Elementary.
• Union’s Adult Basic Education (ABE) program delivers a framework of program excellence through engaging instruction to assist adults with English language learning, GED (General Education Diploma) & HiSET (High School Equivalency Test) Preparation, and workforce readiness and advancement. During the 2018-19 school year, Union ABE enrolled nearly 2,000 students in our English as a Second Language classes and GED & HiSET Prep classes.
• Union Adult Learning Center (UALC) has established partnerships with three Workforce Development areas to offer classes not only in Tulsa, but also to our neighboring communities in Owasso, Claremore, Pryor, and Muskogee. Union ABE embraces the opportunity to partner with local community agencies and other educational institutions to assist students in becoming economically self- sufficient. These partners include, but are not limited to, Community Action Project (CAP), Workforce Tulsa, Neighbors Along the Line, Catholic Charities, Tulsa Technology Center, Tulsa Community College, Goodwill Industries, Youth Services, and local churches. Through UALC and the Testing Center, nearly 400 individuals earned their high school equivalency (HSE) diploma with successful completion of the GED or HiSET exam.

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.

The 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.

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.

Student Engagement: Co-Curricular Activities

• More than 14,700 Union students were involved in the arts, including 6,717 elementary students who took both art and music classes at their individual school site.  At the secondary level (grades 6-12), 1,110 were in band; 336 in dance; 707 in orchestra; 1,225 in vocal music; 1,628 in drama; 274 in speech/debate; and 2,738 in a wide variety of visual art courses.
• More than 1,400 students (grades 7-12) were involved in Union’s 23 competitive athletics and spirit programs, and participation was close to 1,700 in K-12 in the district’s 139 non-competitive teams and spirit squads.
• The Performing Arts Center (PAC) lobby renovation was completed as part of the district’s bond initiative. The PAC sound system upgrade was also recently completed.
• A new band building/Fine Arts addition at Union High School is actively being designed and created as part of the district’s bond initiative.
• The Union High School Renegade Regiment earned a finalist spot in the Bands of America Dallas Regional in 2018 as well as the Bands of America Indianapolis Super-Regional, finishing in the Top 5 of over 60 competing marching bands.
• Union Varsity Pom were the 2018-2019 State Champions.
• The Girls Swimming-200 Freestyle Relay team won the 2019 State Championship.  
• For the first time in Lady Redskin history, the Girls Tennis #2 doubles team of junior Ashley Barber and freshman Savanna Rogers were 2019 state champions.
• Senior J.T. McCloud won the 2019 state championship in Boys Track in the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash.  He was also named Gatorade Boys Track Athlete of the Year and is the first Union High School athlete to be chosen for this award.
• The Boys Track Team won the 2019 state championship in the 1600-meter relay.
   

Employees Statistics & Achievements

• Union employed 991 teachers, 871 support personnel, and 77 administrators.  Of the district’s 77 administrators, 89.61% had a master’s degree or higher. Of the teaching and administrative staff, 37.8% held graduate-level degrees – 404 with master’s degrees and 18 with doctorates for 2018-2019.
• Forty-six teachers held National Board Certification.
• The district welcomed 157 new teachers for the 2018-2019 school year.
• The ethnic diversity among the staff was African-American 6%, American Indian 14%, Asian 3%, and Caucasian/other 77%. Four hundred and twenty were male and 1,577 female.
• Jackie White (who juist retired), senior executive director of Federal Programs, was recognized for her years of service for Native American programs and issues during a regional Johnson O’Malley program meeting. Johnson O’Malley is a federally funded program through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Indian Education in Washington D.C. The Native American Program was named National Exemplary Program of the Year.  Sue Haralson and Pam Lee were asked to present a workshop at the National Conference.
• The district broke its own record by raising $221,359 for the Tulsa United Way campaign, a 0.78 percent increase over the previous year’s donation.
   

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Child Nutrition

The Child Nutrition Department served 1,681,986 lunches and 993,215 breakfasts during the school year.  Summer meals included 16,422 breakfasts and 25,031 lunches.  The Child Nutrition department trains around 280 employees in culinary arts and safe food handling; has four chefs; and three dietitians. The number of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch has steadily increased over recent years and is currently at 69.3 percent.

The district purchased fresh vegetables and fruits and local grass fed beef from six local farms and six elementary schools participated in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Grant which provided fresh fruits and vegetables for snacks each day in the classroom. 

Transportation

More than 10,000 students rode the bus on a regular basis during the 2018-19 school year. The district maintained a fleet of 109 school buses and 90 support vehicles. Our buses traveled 1,159,028 total miles – 1,040,601 miles on regular routes and 118,427 miles on field trips.

The district ran 15 after-school routes and 35 shuttles, and two vehicles for the McKinney-Vento/Foster Care programs.  The district purchased 172,339 gallons of diesel fuel and 42,529 gallons of unleaded fuel for a combined cost of $446,750.

Facilities

The district maintains more than 2.8 million square feet of facilities. 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, a Wellness and Sports Medicine Center, and the U-Wear Spirit Store. The UMAC also hosts a number of community events and even college-level games. In the spring of 2020, Unopn opened its Community Heath Connection Clinicn at Ellen Ochoa Elementary.

Other outstanding facilities include Union-Tuttle Stadium at the High School, a new soccer complex at the 8th Grade, a 3-meter swimming poolwith a seating capacity of 400 at the 6th/7th Grade Center, a modern baseball/softball complex and a new tennis court at the Union High School Fresman Academy.

The Operations buildings house transportation, maintenance, warehouse and grounds crew behind the Union Alternative School. Union also maintains Central Park at Union at 62nd and Mingo, a practice field at 61st and Mingo.