Retired Reporter Launches Online Court Reporting School
Tracy Thompson is starting an online school to train court reporters as Oklahoma faces a shortage of roughly 77 vacant positions.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Distance Learning
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Retired court reporter Tracy Thompson has launched an online school to train court reporters in Oklahoma. The program offers stenography and voice court reporting tracks and is scheduled to begin in January.
Why it matters
Roughly 77 of the 198 court reporter positions across Oklahoma are vacant, and some smaller counties cannot hold court when no reporter is available. The program aims to build the local pipeline of trained professionals.
The figures come from a count of 198 total court reporter positions in Oklahoma, of which roughly 77 are vacant. The source does not indicate how many students the program will accept at launch.
The players
Tracy Thompson
Thompson is a retired court reporter who spent 39 years in the profession and now teaches court reporting.
The details
Court reporters use stenography machines to capture spoken words and produce official transcripts. Thompson, who spent 39 years as a court reporter and now teaches the profession, plans to recruit trainees from high schools and VO-Tech schools; applicants must be at least 18 with a high school diploma.
Timeline
Thompson spent 39 years working as a court reporter before launching the school.
The online school is scheduled to begin in January 2027.
Season Trajectory
The Oklahoma court reporter shortage, with roughly 77 of 198 positions vacant, is the backdrop for this training effort. The online school represents an attempt to expand a pipeline that has struggled to keep courtrooms staffed.
Oklahomans seeking a stable career can apply to the online program if they are at least 18 with a high school diploma. Starting pay for court reporters is about $65,000 a year, according to the source.
The takeaway
Court reporting offers a path to a steady profession with starting pay of about $65,000 a year. Prospective students should confirm eligibility requirements before applying.
What happens next
The online court reporting school is scheduled to begin in January 2027.
Further reading
For related coverage, explore more Distance Learning options in education.
More information
Apply through the online court reporting school application.
Source note: This article includes information reported by News 9.
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