Fly SPS, a new partnership between the district and Ozarks Technical Community College, will put students through a two-year program designed to propel them toward earning pilot’s licenses.

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Next school year, up to 10 Springfield Public School students could get a head start on getting their wings.

Fly SPS, a new partnership between the district and Ozarks Technical Community College, will put students through a two-year program designed to propel them toward earning pilot’s licenses. The launch of the program was announced Thursday night at the start of the latest SPS University event.

“We are thrilled to be able to continue to expand our choice options for SPS students,” Grenita Lathan, SPS superintendent, said in a statement. “When I came to Springfield, I saw our choice programs as an opportunity for growth for Springfield Public Schools.”

The program is still in development, and will kick off during the 2023-2024 school year. According to the announcement, 10 high school students will be able to enroll in half-day classes at OTC, which is in the midst of expanding its aviation programming. In the first year of the program, students will focus on requirements needed to earn a pilot’s license. In the second year, they will receive advanced flight and aviation training. Then they can continue on their path at OTC.

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“We believe this program has great potential to serve more students in the future and to expand to include other aviation careers,” Hal Higdon, OTC chancellor, said in a statement. “Students who participate in Fly SPS will be well positioned to continue their education at OTC and earn an associate degree in aviation flight technology and a commercial pilot’s license.”

The first 10 students in the program will be chosen through a lottery system. Two students from each of the district’s five high schools will be selected.

More information about the program and the application process will be available at sps.org/FlySPS.




Cory Matteson

Cory Matteson moved to Springfield in 2022 to join the team of Daily Citizen journalists and staff eager to launch a local news nonprofit. He returned to the Show-Me State nearly two decades after graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Prior to arriving in Springfield, he worked as a reporter at the Lincoln Journal Star and Casper Star-Tribune. More by Cory Matteson