He’s the son of a preacher man and a country boy at heart, and now he will be leading troubled Falcon School District 49.Bradley J. Schoeppey, 49, an area superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools, is expected to start his job in about two weeks. Under state open meeting laws, the school board must wait 14 days for public comment and negotiations.He will be Falcon’s sixth superintendent in three years, including interims. The community is hoping for the best, given the district has spent more than $300,000 buying out the last two superintendents who lost favor with the board.Mark Shook, Falcon board member, says that in vetting Schoeppey, one thing kept emerging — he has been the go-to person sent to solve problems and overcome challenges.Board president Anna Bartha said one of Schoeppey’s greatest achievements is “generating successes by holding people accountable and implementing rigor and reform.” She notes he worked with some of his schools in Tulsa to achieve perfect state standardized test scores, nearly unheard of in public schools, and he adheres strictly to policy and process.Schoeppey will head a district facing a host of academic and budgetary challenges. Falcon is the fifth-fastest-growing in Colorado and is expected to grow from the present 13,616 students to more than 30,000 as housing developments on the eastern plains are completed. The district is short-handed because of layoffs of top executives by the board; a recent national curriculum management audit has pointed out major flaws; and an activist group is trying to recall two board members and vote out the others if they seek re-election.Schoeppey, in a phone interview from his 15-acre farm in Oklahoma, explained why he was willing take over the reins of the district.He  said: “I’ve never been afraid of a challenge.”The past two superintendents, who lasted less than a year, said the same thing. Those who know him say he is a knowledgeable administrator and adept at building consensus. Colleagues say Schoeppey’s personal credentials are as laudable as his professional ones, that religion and family are very important, that he and his sons are involved in Boy Scouts.“I think Falcon is very lucky to get him,” says Mary Guinn, Tulsa School District Deputy Superintendent. She says Schoeppey is an effective listener. “He’s a solid team member. He doesn’t hesitate to give advice when needed.But he does not take decisions personally when it’s not exactly what he would have recommended. He builds consensus.”She has worked with him as a colleague and as his boss, and found him to be a steady administrator, gracious, personable, and interested in getting to know people and hearing their opinions.He’s sometimes a practical joker. “When my office is quiet, he has been known to come in quietly to see me jump,” she laughs.Guinn says Schoeppey is not wearing rose-colored glasses. “He has looked at Falcon very closely and considered all the factors, and based on what he knows about himself he believes he can bring stability to the district. And I think so too.”Schoeppey had good relations with the Tulsa school board, says Gary Percefull. “During my six years on the Tulsa board, I have worked closely with Dr. Schoeppey as the schools under his supervision made a huge transformation towards excellence. He has been instrumental in reversing downward trends in attendance and academic success.”His collaborative efforts helped build two new schools and create an elementary arts infusion program and a high school magnet program. “All required a lot of community input and collaboration between school building leaders, district administrators and the school board. All this occurred as the financial challenges facing our district have increased,” Percefull notes.Teachers also praise Schoeppey.“He should do a good job,” said Denzel Kesterson, president of the Tulsa Classroom Teachers. “He’s sometimes tough on negotiations from a teacher point of view. But we are able to talk to him and we sit down to breakfast with him often. He is open.”Kesterson adds: “He is very direct. If he has an opinion he will tell you. If you don’t like that, you might have a problem.”

Bradley J. Schoeppey Photo by