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405.533.6300(Stillwater, Oklahoma, April 15, 2025) During a special April 15 meeting, the Stillwater Board of Education voted to hire Tyler Bridges as the next superintendent of Stillwater Public Schools. Bridges currently serves as Superintendent of Clinton Public Schools, a role he has held since June 2020. He will officially step into his new position in Stillwater on July 1.
“Stillwater is an incredible community,” Bridges said. “It’s truly one of the premier school districts in Oklahoma. The district has so many high-performing students and incredible staff members. It's known across the state and nationally for very successful programs across many fields, but there are always areas where we can grow. I’m excited to bring my leadership experience to Stillwater and to help move things to new heights.”
Bridges began his career in education in 2004 after earning a Bachelor of Arts in English Education from the University of Central Oklahoma. He taught, coached girls basketball, and assisted with baseball for five years in his hometown of Chandler, Oklahoma.
In 2009, he completed a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Southern Nazarene University and became a principal at Agra Public Schools, where he also served as athletic director.
He went on to serve as superintendent at Pleasant Grove Public Schools from 2012 to 2014 before taking on the role of Assistant Superintendent in Clinton. After three years in that position, Bridges joined the University of Oklahoma’s K20 Center for Educational & Community Renewal as Director of School and Community Partnerships, while beginning work toward a doctorate in Educational Administration, Curriculum, and Supervision at OU.
He returned to Clinton in 2020 to lead the district as superintendent. During his time there the district has successfully passed capital improvement plans, increased student achievement, and gained additional grant funding that enabled enhancements to after school programs, summer learning, health programs, buses, and technology.
Bridges expressed confidence in navigating the financial landscape of Stillwater Public Schools.
“I appreciate the transparency from Dr. Vinson and the board during this process,” he said. “It’s clear the district has already taken significant steps toward addressing its financial challenges. I feel confident we can make smart, efficient use of taxpayer dollars while keeping student programs strong and protected.”
Bridges credits his time at the K20 Center with expanding his capacity in strategic planning and school leadership—skills he says have proven valuable in many aspects of his work, especially financial decision-making.
“Working at the K20 Center with innovative leaders across the state gave me new tools and perspectives. It helped shape the way I approach planning, leadership, and sustainable school improvement.”
At the core of his work, Bridges says, is a deep belief in the value of public education.
“I’ve always believed in the power of public schools. They are essential to our communities and to the future of our country. Public schools offer students incredible opportunities to grow, discover, and pursue their passions, and become amazing individuals—whether that’s in academics, the arts, athletics, or leadership. Supporting that journey is what drives me every day.”
Bridges said that while leaving Clinton is a difficult decision, the opportunity to come to Stillwater felt like the right move for both his career and his family.
“Clinton has been home to my family for the past eight years, and we’ve loved it here. It’s a great place full of wonderful people, and we’re grateful for our time here. But we wouldn’t be leaving unless we felt truly called to a special place—and Stillwater is exactly that.”
Bridges’ wife Mandi, daughter Kinsley, and son Cohen will join him in the move. Mandi has a background in early childhood counseling. Kinsley, a high school sophomore, is an All-State vocalist active in the performing arts. Cohen, a sixth grader, is passionate about baseball.
“Being from Chandler and having family nearby, this feels like coming home. Stillwater is one of the most vibrant and welcoming communities in the state, and we’re excited to become part of it.”
He added that he looks forward to continuing the strong tradition of community involvement he’s maintained throughout his career.
“Wherever we’ve lived, I’ve always jumped in locally and at the state level —whether through Leadership Oklahoma, Lions Club, Kiwanis, the State Chamber, or our local church. I want to be part of what makes a community thrive.”
When asked how he spends his time outside of work, Bridges laughed and said, “Between supporting my kids’ activities and attending school events, there’s not a lot of spare time. But I do love a good cup of coffee—and I try to get out and cycle when I can.”
The Board of Education partnered with the Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA) to facilitate the search process, which included gathering community input through ThoughtExchange to help guide the board’s decision. Stillwater Board President Roberta Douglas praised the process and Bridges’ selection:
“We are pleased to welcome Tyler Bridges to Stillwater Public Schools as our next Superintendent,” said Douglas. “When the Board initiated its search earlier this spring, we carefully considered feedback from both the district and the community. Our goal was to identify a leader with a strong educational background, in-depth knowledge of district operations, a proven commitment to supporting students and teachers, and a solid understanding of school finance. Through the interview process, it became clear that Mr. Bridges not only met these expectations but exceeded them.”
“The Board reviewed an impressive and competitive pool of candidates,” she added. “Mr. Bridges’ dedication to building community, advancing student achievement, and advocating for public schools makes him the ideal choice to lead our district. We look forward to welcoming Tyler and his family into our community.”
Bridges will make frequent visits to Stillwater in the coming weeks to connect with district leaders and begin working alongside Acting Superintendent Dr. Janet Vinson during the transition.
“I’m honored to join the Stillwater team,” Bridges said. “This district already does so many things well, and I’m excited to build on that strong foundation. My goal is to listen, learn, and lead in a way that helps take an already great district to even higher levels of achievement.”
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405.533.6300Superintendent Gordon is currently out of the office due to a health issue and will be away for an extended period. In light of his absence, the Board of Education met this morning and appointed me as acting superintendent until Mr. Gordon’s return. I understand that this unexpected news may cause concern for some in our community. I’d like to first assure you that we are confident we’ll be welcoming Mr. Gordon back in the near future. However, at this time, it is important that we allow him to fully focus on his recovery so he can return to his role as Superintendent of Schools as soon as possible.
While we give Mr. Gordon time to recover, it is important to keep the district moving forward to serve our students. Please know that my experience has prepared me to assist in leading the district during this time. In my 30+ years as an educator, I’ve served as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, associate superintendent of instruction, Superintendent of Broken Arrow Public Schools, and Deputy Superintendent of Teacher Recruitment and Retention at the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Since joining SPS, I’ve served as both Chief Human Resources Officer and Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services. In short, I have fifteen years of experience in district administration, five years experience as the superintendent of a large 6A district and extensive knowledge of SPS.
Additionally, I have worked closely with Mr. Gordon since August 2022, so I am confident that we can continue to follow his vision to support our schools, teachers, and, most importantly, our students.
Please keep Mr. Gordon and his family in your thoughts, and we look forward to his healthy return.
Warm regards, Janet Vinson, Ph.D. Acting Superintendent Stillwater Public Schools
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Uwe is pronounced "oo-vuh"
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405.533.6300After earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree in science from Oklahoma State University (OSU), Gordon began his career as an educator in 1984 as a junior high social studies teacher at Stillwater Public Schools. He also gained experience as an administrator at SPS, serving as the junior high ISSP and Athletic Director from 1993-1994 and as a junior high assistant principal from 1994-2000.
After 16 years with Stillwater Public Schools, Gordon left the district in 2000, accepting the position of principal at Yale High School. He would also go on to serve as principal of Hennessey High School from 2002-2003. Gordon accepted his first job as a superintendent in 2003, leading Hennessey’s school district for three years.
After earning six years of experience as an administrator at Yale and Hennessey, Gordon returned to Stillwater Public Schools in 2006 where he served as the high school principal for 16 years before being named Superintended in 2022.
Gordon is dedicated and heavily involved in the Stillwater community. He was an adjunct professor for the college of education at OSU from 1996-2015 and is also a member of the Stillwater Community Resiliency Committee, Stillwater High School Alumni Association, Stillwater High School PTA, and the OSU College of Education Advisory Committee.
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April 29, 2025
Posted by Barry Fuxa on 4/29/2025View or translate this update at / Ver o traducir esta actualización en / عرض هذا التحديث أو ترجمته على / 查看或翻译此更新，网址为 / دا اپډیټ په کښې وویئ یا یې وژباړئ Stillwaterschools.com
SPS Families and Staff,
Recently, I received an email that brightened my day from one Dennis Goda, a 90-year-old gentleman who attended school here in Stillwater in his youth. During World War II, his family had been confined to Japanese American internment camps in Jerome, Arkansas, and Gila River, Arizona, until his father was selected to teach Japanese to U.S. Naval officers at Oklahoma A&M College (now OSU). They then relocated to Stillwater in February of 1945 and enrolled in Stillwater Public Schools. Mr. Goda wanted to confirm some details of his time here to share with his grandchildren, as it had been quite a while.
I took a moment to enter what we call “the vault” and was able to confirm his school and the spelling of his teacher’s name. There really are some things that go on your “permanent record” in school, including a teacher misspelling your name. :)
Mr. Goda shared some beautiful memories of his time in Stillwater. He described Stillwater as a "land of plenty," filled with kindness and abundance. He remembered fishing with his father at Lake Carl Blackwell, gathering pecans in the woods, and walking past trees with fruit just falling to the ground. His younger sister was often invited to slumber parties, and the friendliness of the community left a deep impression on his entire family, especially in light of the reception they had received in some places during the war. Dennis expressed gratitude for the opportunities his family found in Stillwater during such a difficult time in our nation's history, and he expressed hope that the young people of today appreciate the freedoms we experience in our country.
I was deeply moved by my chat with an individual who was a part of such a pivotal time in our nation and town’s history. With his permission, I wanted to share this story to remind all of us what a special place Stillwater has always been — a community built on kindness, generosity, and acceptance.
As we approach the end of the school year, many of our seniors and some of our students from other grades prepare to leave this community for sights and futures unseen. I hope in 80 years they look back on our special town as fondly as Mr. Goda does.
-Barry Fuxa
PR & Communications Coordinator
Stillwater Public SchoolsIn case you missed it…
- Tyler Bridges has been named SPS Superintendent. Learn more about him here. He’s already visiting the district frequently to help make sure we have a smooth transition. More to come from him in the near future!
- At the April board meeting the Board named Roberta Douglas as President and Rachel Dillin as Vice President for the year.
Celebrate Greatness
- Lunch Hero Day is this Friday, but we’re out of school that day, so we’re celebrating Lunch Hero Week. We appreciate all they do every day to help our students have the nutrition and energy they need to learn.
- We’ll be announcing our District Teacher of the Year this Friday. Look for an announcement that evening.
- Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week. Be sure to let those teachers know how much they’re loved!
Speaking of nutrition…
As state testing and finals continue in the coming weeks, please be sure your children have a healthy meal to start the day (they can get a free breakfast at school) and to get plenty of sleep.
Getting tickets to a great show is a… snap.
Don’t miss out on this week’s performances of the Addams Family Musical at SHS! Our performing arts students do an amazing job delivering top notch entertainment experiences. Get your tickets ($12 for adults. $10 for students) now at cur8.com/projects/TAF
Help us recognize our seniors
Each year SHS recognizes individual seniors with signs along the HS campus. If you’d like to help support that effort, donations can be made via Venmo to the SHS PTO account @SHSpioneersPTO or cash and checks can be dropped off at the high school.
Shop Local
Stillwater FFA encourages you to shop local. They’ve built some lovely planter boxes for 50 local participating businesses, each with custom signs: "Shop Local," "Shop Stillwater," , and “Shop < Business Name >." Between May 1st and May 15th, any SPS student and their parents can shop at these businesses, turn in photos of their receipts for the chance to win gift cards. There’s $2,500 up for grabs. The more times a student enters, the more chances they have to win, and there is no limit to the number of times they can win. Find the list of businesses, and submit your receipts at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdp32PG1_25ViXsgTbcwHZNMpk1cljbwTNCaICCsvY2A2U5zw/viewform
Community Health Needs Assessment
Complete the Payne County Community Health Needs Assessment at osdhcfhs.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cCrD0qnFcFSzRRA to help identify the biggest community health issues facing our community. This feedback will be utilized to create a community health improvement plan by multiple agencies and organizations within our county, including the Payne County Health Department and Stillwater Medical.
#PioneerProud
Congrats to our Pioneers on these amazing recent achievements.
Academics:
- Seniors Alex Kim and Matthew Li were named Oklahoma 2025 Academic All-Staters! 100 top public high school seniors were selected from hundreds of nominations statewide, to receive a $1,500 merit-based cash award, honor cord and a medallion. They will be recognized at the 39th annual Academic Awards Celebration on May 10, 2025, at the Oklahoma City Convention Center.
Activities:
- Congratulations to Junior, Alex Kidangathazhe for winning Outstanding Economic Student from the Federal Reserve and the OCEE (Oklahoma Council of Economic Education). He was one of twelve students recognized from Oklahoma. He was nominated by his AP US History teacher Connie Parker.
Agriculture:
- State Champion Ag Issues Team
- State Runner-Up Livestock Judging Team
- State Runner-Up Ag Mechanics Team
Altruism:
- Stillwater Makes a Change presented a check for $87,404 to Payne County Youth Services!
- Congratulations and thank you to the following students for their commitment to serving our nation in the US. Armed Forces.
- Benjamin Earp – U.S. Air Force
- Antonio Bugarin-Vega – U.S. Army National Guard
- Tagen Chadrick – U.S. Army National Guard
- Grant Jackson – U.S. Army National Guard
- Casey Moore – U.S. Army National Guard
- Isabella Reyes – U.S. Army National Guard
- Raiden Silas – U.S. Army National Guard
- Kira Vialpando – U.S. Army National Guard
- Drayton Brandt – U.S. Navy
Arts:
- SHS Symphonic Band received superior ratings for their stage performance and sight reading at the OSSAA State Contest.
- The 8th grade band received straight superior ratings at the North Texas Festival of Distinction
Athletics:
- Good luck to all our spring sports as they head into regionals.
- Dee Lockett was named Oklahoma recipient of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award!
We can't possible list all the amazing things our students do and the honors they receive here.
Be sure to follow the social media of your favorite student activities & school to learn more about these and other amazing student achievements.Coming up- Details of events at Stillwaterschools.com/calendar
Fingers crossed that weather works out for all our outdoor athletic events, but… some events subject to possible rescheduling or cancellations.
- Thursday, May 1
- State Agriscience Fair
- HS- Soccer Boys JV at Edmond North Cup (9:40/12:40/4:40)
- JH - Soccer vs Piedmont (Girls 4:45/Boys 6:15)
- BBQ, Bids & Broadway - Band Fundraiser
- SPRING MUSICAL
- HS- Baseball vs Bixby (Senior Night - District Game)
- Friday, May 2
- No School - Teacher Professional Development
- HS - Boys Golf Regionals
- HS- Tennis Girls V at Shawnee HS
- HS - Soccer at Piedmont Cup (Boys Only)
- SPRING MUSICAL
- HS- Soccer Boys Homecoming Reunion
- Saturday, May 3
- HS- Tennis Boys V at Shawnee HS
- HS- Baseball vs Marlow
- SPRING MUSICAL
- Sunday, May 4
- SPRING MUSICAL
- Monday, May 5
- State FFA Convention (Day 1/3)
- HS- Girls Golf V at State (MeadowBrook-Tulsa)
- HS- Tennis Girls V at Regionals (TBD)
- JH/MS- 7th/8th Grade Volleyball Tryout 2025
- SMS Theatre Arts - "Live in Living Color: A Musical Revue
- Tyler Bridges has been named SPS Superintendent. Learn more about him here. He’s already visiting the district frequently to help make sure we have a smooth transition. More to come from him in the near future!
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Tawni Hooten
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405.533.6300Tawni serves as the administrative assistant to the superintendent, Board of Education Clerk, & handles the district's open records requests.
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Barry Fuxa
[email protected]
405-707-5025Barry is responsible for SPS's News, Website, Communications, and Brand Management.
