001Since it's Dr Hartzler's final regularly scheduled board meeting, we'd like to take this opportunity to honor him. So Dr. Hartzler, if you could join me down here just for a moment. You, you're in trouble. Under Dr Hartzler's leadership Union public schools has received recognition nationally as a leader in Community Schools, early childhood education, stem, virtual education, and College and Career Readiness. Union's Early College High School and Career Connect programs have served as models for other high schools throughout the state. The district's mission to graduate 100% of our students College and Career ready means that students are still pursued and encouraged to complete course requirements sometimes two or three years after their graduation date. Some of them Tracked Down by Dr. Hartzler himself. His accomplishments at Union include, but are not limited to, Leading us through
002two incredibly complex and challenging situations - with a mascot change and the covid pandemic - establishing the district's first diversity equity and inclusion board policy, creation of the Department of research design and assessment - 2018, the creation of the Department of Hope guidance and social emotional learning based off the work of Dr Chan Helman in 2019, in 2017 he was instrumental in partnering with Tulsa College Tulsa Community College in creating the Edge program which is currently in their eighth cohort and has allowed dozens of first generation college students to earn both a high school degree and an associates degree at no cost. He has overseen the creation of the reach program, Union High School Career Connect program, and the creation and construction of Ellen Ochoa Elementary and the on-site Community Health Clinic through Partnerships with
003the City of Tulsa and Community Health connection. He was instrumental in the passage of multiple Bond issues in the Union district which led to the construction of world-class facilities including the Fine Arts building and Stadium renovation on the high school campus. Because to quote Dr Hartzler "our students are worthy" He has served on the boards of Community Action Project, Tulsa area United Way, Junior Achievement, the Tulsa Regional Workforce advisory Council, the Boy Scouts Indian nations Council, nor Eastern State's University president advisory Council, the Tulsa world's Community Advisory board, and the board for the Oklahoma center for community and Justice. His Awards include being named The oasa District 5 superintendent of the year in 2016 and 2023. He was the 2022 occj humanitarian of the year, he was named as a brock prize and education Innovation
004juror in 2020, he's a member of the Hall of Fame for Will public schools in Missouri, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and the athletic Hall of Fame for Evangel University, and in 2024 he was named the Oklahoma State superintendent of the Year by asasa. But more importantly than all that, during his 38-year career working as an educator he has had a positive impact on countless students and has guided coached and counseled generations of young leaders, including me, his legacy of humility, integrity, and service will be forever remembered and forever appreciated. So from all of us at Union public schools, from the members of the Union Board of Education, thank you and congratulations on an amazing career. [Applause] Well I too did not know I would be speaking on this topic this evening, and so
005um Dr. Federline and cabinet, Board, who's ever in on this you are in a little bit of trouble for this. I remember saying to the board in December um as I was giving you all the board report that this is now, I've entered into the season of last, it's the last this, it's the last that, it's the last event, and um yeah this is the last board meeting, but uh I'm going to continue to obviously be um a union RedHawk forever, um I will forever have a special place for this District in my heart, um you have truly changed uh my life and uh my family's life as well. So I thank you for that, but most importantly I I know that this district is going to continue to do Great and Mighty things under
006Dr. Federline's leadership, in the cabinet, in this amazing board, um to all the former board members, I see Mr Coyle here this evening, and um to all those who who were not able to be here, probably didn't know this was happening, and that's fine, but um um I thank you for believing in in us, not just me, but in this team. I think we have definitely accomplished a lot of Great and Mighty things, but I I firmly believe this and I said it said this at my retirement event, that I fully believe and wholehearted wholeheartedly believe that Union's brightest days are yet to come and I know that because of our culture and the people that we have. I've been asked to do a lot of interviews over the last year or two about the
007career and about what we've done, and I'll never forget, I think it might have been Lindsay with the Tulsa World or the Tulsa World said, you know what is it about this place that makes it so special, and we have amazing facilities, we're blessed with the tremendous bonding capacity, we're blessed with amazing teachers, amazing support Personnel, administrators, a board of education, and the community that believes in our mission. But really what makes this place so special it's the people. It's the people, and uh so for that I thank you for creating such a special place, first and foremost, for our students but equally uh for me and for my family. I have three Union lifers and I've said this, you could give me, you could have given me a million dollars to say - I'll
008give you a million dollars as opposed to your kids going through Union and I would gratefully say I'm not interested, because of the value that they received as students here. I know it's it's more valuable than any treasure really on this Earth, so I thank you for that, uh um I'm going to miss this place. I will tell you, um I I am there's just no question about it, people keep saying you counting down the days, no I'm not. But today I had to start. I'm down to four days and uh I don't like how fast these days are going, but I also know that as in life every season um has has to end and so um I leave you in in great hands, so thank you for the uncommon blessing of serving you
009and Union Public Schools, thank you. [Applause]