Resident:
Karen Grissom, South Oklahoma City

Context: Grissom said her concern with teacher shortages is an ongoing issue. Her children are now adults, but she experienced this same problem when they were in school. She believes schools can’t effectively reach each child with current student-teacher ratios, which are among the highest in the nation.
Response:
Charles Tompkins, Interim Chief Human Resources Officer

Context: Tompkins said Oklahoma City Public Schools has struggled to recruit teachers for years. Challenging working conditions and teacher pay are some of the biggest problems when recruiting and retaining teachers. The district has had to get creative with its recruitment efforts in order to find more job candidates.
A Deeper Look:
Help Wanted
Least Profitable Small Hospitals
These 10 small general hospitals had the greatest losses in overall profit margins in 2012.Hospital | City | Beds | Net Income | Overall Profit Margin |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stroud Regional Medical Center | Stroud | 25 | -$7,066,663.00 | -100.2% |
Physicians Hospital at Anadarko | Anadarko | 25 | -$6,983,948.00 | -90.5% |
Integris Edmond* | Edmond | 40 | -$8,930,045.00 | -67.7% |
Sayre Memorial Hospital | Sayer | 46 | -$3,077,181.00 | -38.9% |
Latimer County Hospital | Wilburton | 33 | -$2,328,614.00 | -36.9% |
Pauls Valley General Hospital | Pauls Valley | 64 | -$4,149,135.00 | -30.7% |
Kingfisher Regional Hospital | Kingfisher | 25 | -$3,180,373.00 | -22.8% |
Mercy Hospital Tishomingo | Tishomingo | 25 | -$652,704.00 | -15.5% |
Cimarron Memorial Hospital | Boise City | 25 | -$524,406.00 | -14.7% |
Harmon Memorial Hospital | Hollis | 31 | -$738,953.00 | -14.6% |
* Less than 12 months of data available. |
Source: Oklahoma City Public Schools
Most Profitable Large Hospitals
These five general hospitals with 100 beds or more posted the highest overall profit margins in 2012.Hospital | City | Beds | Net Income | Overall Profit Margin |
---|---|---|---|---|
Medical Center Of Southeastern Oklahoma | Durant | 140 | $22,675,088 | 26.1% |
Wagoner Community Hospital | Wagoner | 100 | $4,424,554 | 22.3% |
St. Francis Hospital | Tulsa | 814 | $183,176,728 | 20.8% |
Jane Phillips Memorial Medical Center | Bartlesville | 140 | $20,702,607 | 17.0% |
Integris Bass Baptist Health Center | Enid | 162 | $17,172,265 | 13.9% |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics