New Yukon Superintendent: Keith Sinor shares goals for district

With the incoming departure of Yukon Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jason Simeroth, the district is looking ahead to the future.

Simeroth announced his retirement, effective at the end of the 2024-25 school year, but the district has already named his successor: Tuttle Public Schools Superintendent Keith Sinor.

RELATED: Keith Sinor named Superintendent of Yukon Public Schools

Sinor joined the News 9 team on Tuesday to talk about his goals for the district as he steps into his new role.

Q: What were your thoughts when you found out you would be the new Yukon superintendent?

Sinor: First of all, it's a great community, a great school system, and so my family and I were just excited about the opportunity.

Q: For folks that may not know you, or were just meeting you, what is your background? Where did you come from, and how did you get here?

Sinor: I grew up in Oklahoma City, on the south side of Oklahoma City, actually. [I was an] Oklahoma City Public Schools student, went to Capitol Hill High School, started my career in Oklahoma City as a teacher, and coach, and then left there. I went to a few places, Edmond, Deer Creek, then back to Oklahoma City as a district athletic director, and then finally Tuttle as a superintendent there."

Q: Is Tuttle starting the process of finding its new superintendent?

Sinor: Yes, they have just begun that process.

Q: What are some of your goals as you take on the new role in Yukon? Do you kind of have some things you want to do, or is it sit back and observe?

Sinor: A lot of listening and understanding. Each community is unique, and so I just want to better understand the needs, and hear their heart, their desires, their hopes, and their dreams for the kids in their district and the school.

Q: Yukon seems like one of those school districts that's just exploded in growth, is that a challenge, or is it exciting?

Sinor: It certainly brings challenges, but it's exciting because people are attracted to Yukon for a reason. People move to communities, usually, because of the school, and so that's a testament to the work that Dr. Simeroth has done in the Yukon community.

Q: Talk about the long-term vision for Yukon and the school district.

Sinor: Like I said, it's first to seek to understand. People make the mistake of saying that a superintendent's gonna come in with their ideas and those things. I have experiences, but it's not what I can do, but what we can do together. Seeking to understand, and hearing what they have to say, and then work together to create the best that we can for the kids of Yukon.

Q: How do you think Yukon will be different than some of the places you've worked?

Sinor: Every school district is different and unique, but we all face the same challenges. How do you work with limited resources? How do you unite behind the kids that we serve through all the challenges and stuff that come with educating kids?

Q: When we had Dr. Simeroth in as he was talking about rounding out his career, we talked about your new role and the challenges you may take on. Simeroth mentioned he hopes that things are better with the State Superintendent and Yukon Public Schools, are you hoping for a good relationship with the State Department of Education?

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Sinor: My focus is Yukon and the kids there. I'm not a political guy, I don't get involved in all those things, I just try to take care of the kids that we serve. We have a big enough challenge as it is, and I will say this, the thing that I'm working on, not only as a superintendent but also statewide, is how do we remove some of the barriers that have been created with teaching. We have stifled innovation and creativity with all these mandates and stuff that we've placed on teachers, and we need to get back to trusting our teachers as professionals because that's what we hired them to do. Hire them to not only educate kids but to love on them, and so we've got to work on that. How do we get back to that? That's my focus, how do we get back to the core of what education is? I remember teachers that I had, and I can tell you that I remember what they taught me, but I remember those who loved me well.

Q: We have a lot of Yukon viewers watching right now. What is your message to the community?

Sinor: We are going to provide the very best opportunities for our kids, and we're going to love on them, and we are going to help them in the path that they choose. Not what we choose for them.