Weatherford Public Schools welcomed its new Superintendent Jill Henderson last Thursday, making her the first female superintendent in the district’s history.
Henderson, who comes from a family of educators, has more than 30 years of experience in education, previously working as the superintendent for Canute Public Schools.
She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education; three master’s degrees in special education, bilingual education and school counseling; and currently is working on her doctorate in administration leadership.
Her husband, Randy Henderson, will serve as the agriculture teacher for the district. This will be the first time the two will work in the same school district in more than a decade.
The pair also has three children together.
Their son is attending Western Oklahoma State College on a baseball scholarship. Their middle daughter is the school counselor and a math teacher at Blair Public Schools while their oldest daughter is a counselor and special education director at Arnett. The Hendersons also have two granddaughters.
“It keeps me hopping,” Henderson said. “I love having my grandchildren around.”
She also has two brothers and a sister who work in education.
Henderson came in during a busy time for WPS, with the district deep into its school bond projects as well as a turf and track project at the high school. However, a week into her new role, things appear to be running as smooth as could be expected.
“You can never have a smooth transition without a supporting cast,” she said. “The school board at Canute and the school board here in Weatherford were gracious in allowing me the time to be at both places.”
Henderson said she was able to spend time with the incoming superintendent at Canute, allowing for a seamless transition. She also said her assistants and school administrators really pitched in to make it easier for her to be gone.
“Of course Mr. (Steve) Callen did an excellent job of serving as interim superintendent here,” Henderson said. “He has made wonderful decisions for the district and has it in great shape as I come in.”
During the transition period, she was able to meet with administrators for each school site both individually and as a group. She also said the administration staff has done a wonderful job of providing information.
One of her goals for Weatherford, and every district she has served in, is to be the top academic school in the state.
“Weatherford has a longstanding tradition of being one of the top schools, so I want to continue that tradition. I want to ensure we have quality instructors for our students as well as programs which will provide them opportunities beyond Weatherford Public Schools,” Henderson said.
Resources for social-emotion learning and opportunities for students to connect with something is on her priority list. Henderson said she wants students to be able to engage with their education journey every day.
When asked about her biggest influence in her career, Henderson said there were too many to name.
“I’ve had some great role models in administrators from the top down,” she said. “I have worked with some fantastic teachers who have taught me things. Even as an administrator, I have learned from my teachers.”
She has learned a lot from the support staff as well.
“They work hard every day to ensure children have a clean building, all the things they need and are driven at school,” Henderson said. “They have inspired me to be a better leader, listener and observer of what the district needs.”
She said she has been blessed to have so many wonderful people guide her throughout her career.
Henderson said she and her husband have been looking for ways to get involved with the community and serve both inside and outside WPS.
“I get up, and it is every student every day on my mind,” she said. “I want to ensure every student has the best day possible, the best learning environment and the opportunity to do whatever it is they want to do beyond Weatherford and Weatherford Public Schools.”
Henderson also said her door is open to parents who have any questions or concerns.
“There are good things to come, and I am excited to be a part of it,” she said.