Bartlesville Schools Superintendent Chuck McCauley announces retirement after 10 years of leadership

Bartlesville Public Schools Superintendent Chuck McCauley announced he will retire at the end of the upcoming school year, closing out a 10-year tenure marked by both growth and challenges in public education.

McCauley has served as superintendent since 2016 and spent decades in education as a teacher and principal before taking the district's top job.

Changes and Challenges

McCauley’s time as superintendent included guiding the district through several building and program expansions as well as some challenges: a statewide teacher walkout in 2018 and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’ve done some tremendous work here,” McCauley said. “We’ve passed four bond issues, over $100 million, and really improved facilities across the board. I had to take some leadership roles in terms of the teacher walkout and worked with our community back during the pandemic. We were the only large school that started in person on time.”

During McCauley’s tenure, the district added the FFA (Future Farmers of America) program, as well as aviation and carpentry programs.

“Before 2019, we didn't have FFA at Bartlesville High School in Oklahoma,” he said. “This year we added our fourth a teacher. They were nationally recognized two years ago as a premier chapter in the country.”

Teacher Shortage

McCauley points to the shortage of qualified teachers as a major issue facing Oklahoma’s school districts.

"I think that's something it's been a national problem, fewer people going into education. That's really it's hit our state just in the last several years,” he said.

"I started teaching in 1992, shortly after the teacher walkout in the late '80s that led to more investment in education. During that time, there was no teacher shortage."

McCauley points out that in 2012, Oklahoma only had 32 emergency certified teachers.

“Now I think there's over 4,000, but we have more than 32 just in Bartlesville,” he said. “Not that there's anything wrong with emergency certified teachers, but they just take some additional resources. We started a new teacher academy to train them.”

“Our district’s in great shape.”

As he prepares to step away from his role, McCauley said his focus remains on making sure the district is well-positioned for the future and that educators have the support they need to succeed.

“This is my 34th year in education and my 10th year as superintendent, and so the district here has been wonderful to me,” McCauley said.

“Our district's in great shape,” he said. “Our student enrollment continues to grow… very solid leadership and really feels like it's a great time for the district. I think the best times are ahead for the district.”

McCauley will remain with the district through the 2025-26 school year.