Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ threats to lower or take away Tulsa Public Schools’ accreditation drove parents and students alike to public demonstration as state officials prepared to decide the fate of the school district.
For the past month, Walters threatened to either take away TPS’ accreditation or put the school district on probation, citing disputed information about the district to make his case. Probation would have given Walters greater control over the district, while an accreditation loss would carve up the district among its neighbors.
On Thursday morning, Walters and the board ultimately voted to accredit TPS with deficiencies, plus improvement plans for the district and internal controls to prevent and detect embezzlement.
This accreditation level was reportedly communicated to district Superintendent Deborah Gist and school board President Stacey Woolley by state officials before Walters said he would revisit TPS' accreditation level in July.
Walters claimed further information about TPS' finances was reported to him after Gist's and Woolley's meeting, but Gist claimed he was misrepresenting information about the district.
Walters' threats prompted Gist to announce her resignation on Tuesday in hopes of preserving the district. Walters has been particularly pointed in his criticisms of Gist over the past year.
Gist’s resignation was referenced at a student walkout at Booker T. Washington High School. Hundreds of students walked out of class onto the school’s football field at 9:30 a.m., when the state Department of Education meeting began.
“We had our superintendent drop down to save us … this isn’t even about us. It’s about the city of Tulsa,” said Booker T. junior Israel Hart, who organized the rally.
Booker T. junior Paris Bedford said it’s “not a coincidence” that Walters is going after the most racially diverse public school in Oklahoma. While Walters has denied these accusations to media outlets, Oklahoma City Public Schools has similar challenges, performance and demographics and has not drawn his ire.
“This isn’t about protecting children. This is about controlling children and upping your career in the conservative community,” Bedford said.
Before the walkout, Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association organizers held signs outside the entrances to Nathan Hale and East Central high schools to welcome students to school. They wore shirts that said “Together, we’re building a stronger Tulsa" and cheered on the students as they walked up to the front doors.
Amber Turner, a TPS parent who greeted the students, called the thought a state takeover “completely ridiculous.”
“They’re using our teachers and our students as political pawns, and that is not fair,” she said.
"We're busy trying to prep for lessons, and then we're in the uncertainty of, 'Are we even going to be allowed by the state to continue with the plan we have in place, to assist students, to increase attendance, to grow literacy?'" said Ashley Louk, a Nathan Hale teacher and the TCTA representative for the school. "It's not a great way to start, simply because you're in that uncertain situation, you have to go forward as if you're going to get to continue, but are in an uncertain place."
