NEWS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2026
Contact: AJ Graffeo, Public Information Officer
agraffeo@putnamcityschools.org
405-495-5200 ext. 1216
Putnam City Schools Announces Dr. Kenny Rodrequez as 25th Superintendent
Putnam City Schools is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Kenny Rodrequez as the District's 25th Superintendent of Schools. The Putnam City Board of Education made the announcement this morning at a Special Board Meeting and press conference held at the District's Centennial Center. Dr. Rodrequez will assume leadership of one of Oklahoma's largest school districts, serving nearly 19,000 students.
"Putnam City is gaining a creator, communicator, innovator, partner, and a proven leader. We are celebrating this exciting new chapter with great enthusiasm and a deep respect for the road that brought us here. We honor our District’s legacy today with optimism and purpose, and where progress and gratitude are not opposites,” School Board Vice President Jay Sherill said.
The selection of Dr. Rodrequez follows a comprehensive nationwide search process guided by the Oklahoma State School Boards Association. The Board gathered input from parents, teachers, staff, and community members to identify the qualities and priorities most important to the Putnam City community. Dr. Rodrequez's background, leadership philosophy, and proven track record were seen as a strong reflection of that feedback.
"What I love about Putnam City is its bold history from all who came before me… I am excited to build on those deep connections and push the District forward. I did not come here to erase anything. I came here to honor what has been built and to help write the next chapter. Being the 25th superintendent of this amazing District is an honor that I take very seriously."
Dr. Rodrequez succeeds Dr. Fred Rhodes, who has served as Superintendent of Putnam City Schools for 13 years, the longest tenure of superintendents in the District’s 112-year history. The Board expressed deep gratitude for Dr. Rhodes' service and dedication to the District, its teachers and staff, and students.
Dr. Rodrequez's official start date with Putnam City Schools is July 1, 2026.
About Dr. Rodrequez
Dr. Rodrequez is no stranger to Oklahoma. He graduated from Broken Arrow High School, earned his Bachelors and Masters from Oklahoma State University, and spent a significant time in his educational career in Tulsa, where he launched the city’s first Early College High School and led an innovative network serving over a thousand students. His career and his own education have covered multiple states, including attending Baker University, where he earned his Doctorate in School Administration.
He began his career in the band room as a music educator. That foundation has carried him through nearly every leadership role in education, most recently as the superintendent at Grandview C-4 in Missouri since 2016. Under his tenure, the district has achieved remarkable results in literacy and student wellbeing that have risen beyond what anyone thought was possible after the pandemic. Further, through his efforts in Oklahoma and Missouri to implement new teacher evaluation systems, he has significantly contributed to raising academic achievement and establishing strong collaborative relationships between teachers and administrators. He has also earned top honors as the 2024 Missouri Superintendent of the Year, and the 2020 Communication Technology Award recipient from the National School Public Relations Association. Now, he comes back to Oklahoma with a deep love for it and an impressive record built on top of that.
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