The HCP Rebranding
As of 2024, the Harding Charter district was renamed from Harding Independence Charter District to Harding Charter Preparatory School District, with each school ending in the street name they are on.
The rebranding’s purpose was to emphasize academic excellence.
In addition to name changes the school district also altered the original color scheme by adding gold to the classic hunter green, navy blue and white.
The teacher performance review model was also altered, which aims to improve how teachers educate their students and provide a better learning experience.
Why the Elementary School was opened
Coinciding with the HCP rebranding is the grand opening of the HCP Elementary school.
“When MAPS testing scores of new Harding students were analyzed, it was shown that on average they were lower than those of regular Harding students,” said Chief Academic Officer Rachel Dowell.
In an effort to improve future scores, it was decided that an Elementary school should be opened to prevent low test scores by starting students earlier in the district’s system.
How the Elementary School got funded
According to the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Oklahoma is one of the lowest in terms of education spending. According to the SDE, “after filling out a form, The United States Government will grant out money to educational facilities.” In the case of the Elementary school, they received $3,000,000 in funding to open the school. Superintendent Steven Stefanick and Dowell chose the principal of the school, Lana Ingram, formerly of John Rex Elementary School. From there, all the staff were chosen by Ingram.
