There’s a host of anguish by both conservatives and liberals over education lately—and specifically, Tulsa Public Schools (TPS). Even if heated debate surrounds the discussion, I love that the state’s school performance is receiving attention. 

The most important investment that can be made for our kids and grandkids is the investment in a great education. In fact, the only way to achieve growth and prosperity for Oklahomans is to properly prepare the next generation for high quality jobs with education. 

The commitment of taxpayers should not be in question. Look at TPS: for the current budget year, total appropriated funds are expected to be $755,367,103. That’s approximately $25,179 per student! For that huge investment, the results are simply tragic—according to Public School Review, only 8% of TPS students are proficient in math, and only 12% are proficient in reading.

Drastic measures need to be adopted and fundamental transformation needs to be pursued. The first place to start is the woefully inadequate strategic plan of the school district. I have read the entire document, and I am stunned that “social emotional learning” has more prominence than specific goals related to reading and math mastery.  

British Philosopher Alfred North Whitehead opined, “We think in generalities, but we live in detail.” In the case of TPS, the details have been wrong footed. The administrators, not the teachers, have pointed the ship of education to fads and philosophies that distract from the critical details of phonics and math skills—and the accountability that must reinforce those details.

School board elections are right around the corner. Hopefully, these very important conversations about an immediate course correction will take center stage, and the next group of TPS leaders will make 2024 the year of great changes that prepare our kids and grandkids for a bright future.

No matter where you fit on the political spectrum, hopefully we all can agree that the status quo is completely unacceptable and the new leadership of the district must dig deep to spark a major turnaround.

Three upcoming school board races merit extra attention, and I hope the entire community will actively engage in the process. We must make the investment in our kids and grandkids pay off for their future growth and prosperity!

About the author: Mike Mazzei, CFP®, MPAS®, is the President of Tulsa Wealth Advisors. A Certified Financial Planner professional, and Master Planner Advanced Studies, he created The Financial Freedom Process to help individuals leverage their wealth in order to help them achieve their lifetime visions. Mike is a former Oklahoma State Senator (Dist. 25 in Tulsa) & OK Sec. of Budget. He is the proud husband to Noel and father to 5 great kids.

,Anguish Over Education and TPS
Click on this headline to read the full report at Tulsa Today.

The year we’ve been waiting for is finally here. 2024 will be the ultimate showdown in U.S. elections. It will not be a repeat of 2020. Here’s why:

1.            Americans are engaged. We’ve lived through the lies and seen the truth continue to be revealed and affirmed. No, not everyone feels this way, but the numbers are in our favor. And more join our ranks every day. We are uniting.

2.            Americans are ready to serve. In 2020, COVID disrupted long standing workflows and forced a sudden shift to insecure mail ballots and unmonitored dropboxes.  Countless security standards, ranging from machine certification, to ballot authentication, to chain of custody documents, were abandoned. That will not happen in 2024. Americans, from election workers to election attorneys, are prepared to hold the rule of law.

3.            Election laws have improved in many states. Mail ballot excesses have been rolled back, dropboxes have been removed, foreign exposures have been limited, voters’ rights have been expanded. You may not know this because legacy media does its level best to make us all think the Uniparty is in control. They are not.

2024 will be an epic struggle. We must get in shape, flex muscles we’ve not used in a long time, and, as once famously said by Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters, we have to “reclaim our time.”  We’ve had enough. It’s the people’s time. If we continue to stand together there’s nothing we can’t accomplish.

Lastly, as you are considering your end of year contributions, we hope you’ll add True the Vote to your list.  We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization, which means that donations are tax deductible. Time is short. We are revving our engines for 2024. If you can, please donate.

Today’s Bible verse (in the Bible app) is Isaiah 40:29. “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”  We are standing on that promise.  We live it every day. And we are stronger in spirit than we have ever been.

Contributing Editor: David Arnett

About the author: Catherine Engelbrecht is the founder of True the Vote.

,True the Vote Update
Click on this headline to read the full report at Tulsa Today.

During the December 21 State Department of Education (OSDE) meeting Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson laid out comprehensive plans to reach the three academic goals established during the November meeting. The plans included:

• “refreshing” (increasing) several of TPS Board goals that are part of the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan
• focusing on about 6,200 students grade four through eight
• reassigning school principals to match school needs
• freeing up office staff to go into the schools to cover classes during the English Language Arts (ELA) time periods freeing up the classroom teacher to focus on teaching ELA
• reading tutoring: the Christmas Break tutoring has already successfully started with 323 TPS students having enrolled across five sites for eight days of three-hour sessions
• implementing assessment culture: communicate expectation by setting goals (student and teacher), motivate teachers who in turn motivate students, include parents

Dr. Johnson also reported multiple collaborative strategy meetings between the TPS teams (academic and finance) and the parallel OSDE teams during December. The finance teams established bi-weekly meetings starting in January.

The well-deserved praise followed the day after the presentation in a social media video put out by State Superintendent Ryan Walters in which he expressed sincere admiration Dr. Johnson for taking “tremendous steps in the right direction”.  He labeled Dr. Johnson’s plans “bold, clear, and data-driven” and as just what the OSDE had asked for.

It appears that the troubled waters have calmed, the atmosphere is positive, the direction forward is clear and that all that is left is for the entire Tulsa community to “roll up its sleeves” and get to work!

The following are the some of the details of the TPS presentation and the OSDE questions and comments. For the rest of the details please watch the recording of this informative board meeting using the following link: https://www.facebook.com/OklaSDE/videos/666863372305724/

OSDE 2023-2024 Goal 1: At least 50% of TPS students must score basic or above on the 2024 OSTP ELA assessment or increase the amount of students who score basic or above by 5% (from 41% to 46% – 700 students)

Progress: Elementary school students – 51% demonstrated average mastery of tested OSTP standards based on core curriculum module assessments.  Middle school students – 43% demonstrated average mastery of tested OST standards based on end of unit assessments.

It is helpful to see how TPS compared to the statewide results on the Spring 2023 English Language Arts Performance (ELAP).  Hitting the 50% mark of “basic or above” would be a 9% shift or about 1,391 students.

Dr. Johnson will be recommending that the TPS Board change its elementary academic goal that focuses on the language arts skills of economically disadvantaged students to bring it more in line with the OSDE goal.

Recommended Goal 1 The percentage of grade 3-5 students who score basic or above on OSTP ELA assessment will increase from 37% in May 2023 to 53% by May 2027.

Dr. Johnson is also recommending this change because it helps to identify the group of students who need additional help to reach a basic grade level in reading so that they can be successful in other school subjects that require reading.

TPS will continue track the 6,200 below basic students especially in grades 4-8 as way of ensuring that various strategies are working. Of those students

• 92% are economically disadvantaged
• 20% are on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
• 43% are current multilingual learners (English language learners)
• 31% attend a MRI (Most Rigorous Intervention) designated school  
• 39% attend a CSI (Comprehensive Support and Improvement) designated school

For the Elementary Schools the strategies to improve English Language Arts skills are

• All students daily: 90 minutes reading and 30 minutes writing
• Basic students daily: extra 30 minutes specialized reading including 20 minutes direct, small group instruction with the teacher
• Below basic students daily: extra 45-60 minutes specialized readng including 20-30 minutes direct small group instruction with the teacher

The strategy for the secondary schools is

• All students daily: StudySync Language Arts 55 minutes
• Basic students weekly: extra 40 minutes using Edmentum Exact Path
• Below basic daily: extra 55 minutes using one of three programs suited to each student’s particular need(s)

OSDE 2023-2024 Goal 2: All teachers and school administrators will be trained in an OSDE-approved science of reading module.

Specifically, by May 30, 2024, 100% of current elementary and secondary TPS teachers and school leaders will complete science of reading training (based on active employment as of January 2, 2024).

Note: plans are in place to ensure 100% completion by May 2024.  Elementary teachers and school leaders will receive 25 hours of training; secondary teachers and school leaders will receive twelve hours of professional training online covering eight content areas.

OSDE 2023-2024 Goal 3: Twelve of the current eighteen MRI-designated sites (schools) will not be re-designated. Note: four of the eighteen sites have been removed from MRI designation status as of 12/19/23.

Specifically, at least twelve of the eighteen MRI schools will achieve the necessary points on the state report card to hit their CSI/MRI exit target.

• Elementary MRI schools must earn at least 17.47 points on the 23-24 school report card, per OSDE Accountability website

• Middle MRI schools must earn at least 13.53 points on the 23-24 school report card, per OSDE Accountability website

• High MRI schools must earn at least 10.65 points on the 23-24 school report card, per OSDE Accountability website and must maintain a 4-year graduation rate of at least 67% based on 22-23 graduation rates

Board members asked several questions following Dr. Johnson’s presentation including:

Q: What counts as professional development? A: In-school time implemented in a day, Tulsa Way Saturday learning, and professional learning days

Q Who is conducting the training? A: In house staff on the elementary level as well as previous classroom teachers who were trained for several years.

TPS Chief Finance and Operations Officer Jorge Robles gave the financial and internal controls report. The TPS Finance team met with the OSDE Finance team on December 6; their next meeting is January 3 to review accounts payable items and bi-weekly meetings have been set to continue the collaboration.

TPS has contracted with and will begin implementation of a continuous monitoring and auditing platform.  This will detect fraud, improve efficiency, and streamline financial reporting.

Board comments and questions on the TPS presentation began with Superintendent Walters noting that the updates, especially the specific current data, have been helpful in showing where students are at this point in the year. 

Questions followed concerning Amira, a system to provide an on-the-spot reading tutor with the aid of AI. The concern was the need to prioritize having teachers or teacher assistance available to help keep children focused on the work, to answer questions and to help out when one student’s computer sounds are being picked up on another student’s computer.

Answers: TPS has a teacher table for students to read in real time, has teacher assistants walking around to help students and is working with Amira to correct the computer-to-computer interference.  More teacher assistants would be beneficial.

Superintendent Walters asked the final question which concerned some teacher retirement system questions that have been received by the state board.  Dr. Johnson answered that some of issues are in a level of litigation and that TPS will work with the retirement system to get this worked out.  She added that the issues have to do with the job titles of some employees possibly not being correct and with some employees having “opted out” of paying into retirement. She said that she would be happy to speak with Superintendent Walters privately in as much depth as she is able. He thanked her for her openness and said he would like to talk with her.

The agenda item concerning TPS, item 7, took up the vast majority of the board meeting.  The following briefly summarizes the remainder of the meeting, for those readers who are interested.

Five of the six state board members were present for the meeting, Superintendent Ryan Walters, Donald Burdick, Sarah Lepak, Katie Quebedeaux and Kendra Wesson.

Superintendent Walters reported that Oklahoma school choice tax credit appears to be popular since the system received 30,000 applications during the first thirty minutes it was available. He praised Christmas Break tutoring programs particularly noting TPS’s effort. He also expressed his aims to eliminate DEI programs from K-12 institutions in Oklahoma so that we do not create a culture of victimhood, to protect the religious freedoms of teachers, and to ensure that children are not exposed to inappropriate sexual expressions in school such as drag queens.

The board accepted the minutes of their November 11, 2023, meeting and then heard public comments. The three off-agenda comments were heard first. Each spoke negatively about Superintendent Walters. One said he is a bully, another said he is disrespectful to TPS Superintendent Dr. Johnson and should not express interest in supporting religious schools or curriculum, and the third gave him Fs and 1 D in various school subjects as well as in “classroom” behavior.

There followed seven on-agenda comments five of which, like the off-agenda comments, focused on Superintendent Walters. Three were negative calling him hostile, childish, irresponsible, and as promoting that lies about history be taught. Two expressed gratitude for what Walters is doing. Another speaker said that the requirements for TPS improvement are really saying that black students should do better which is bad. The president of TCTA asked the OSBE to work with TPS by providing clarity, consistency, resources, and unchanging guidelines.

There were four items on the consent agenda. Superintendent Walters asked if any board member had an item they want to “pull off” for further open board discussion. Board member Wesson, a member of the textbook committee, pulled off the item which asked the board to add Success with OAS Mathematics to the approved textbook list. She explained that the committee sees the book as not having enough content to be considered a “textbook” since it only provides for 100 days of instruction. She views it as an excellent supplemental text which a school is welcome to use as such. The vote was called and the request to approve the book as a textbook, was denied. The remainder of the consent docket was approved as stated in the agenda.

Seven items a – g under the heading Legal Services comprised the 8^th and final agenda item. Items a through d were passed to the January meeting. Item e, the expansion of The Academy of Seminole, a charter school, to a new site in Okmulgee was unanimously passed.  Superintendent Hawthorne, of the Academy of Seminole, gave a thorough presentation including their financial standing and the plan for opening the additional site and adding grade levels each of the following years until the school served PreK -12 grades.

Item f was a technical report about the Sovereign Charter School exit audit. The board members listened and then acknowledged receipt of the audit. No other action was required. The final item g was to consider five teacher certification revocations pending since 2021. All five were pending because they were “no shows” (not contested). It was moved and seconded to accept the hearing officer’s recommendation of revocation. The motion passed unanimously.

The OSBE meeting adjourned three hours and 20 minutes after it began.  The next OSBE meeting will be January 25, 2024, at 9:30 am. and many will be watching.

,Dr. Johnson’s Bold, Clear, Data-driven Goals
Click on this headline to read the full report at Tulsa Today.

Editor’s Note: Tulsa Today welcomes submissions and provides this perspective by Rev. Jim Harden, M.Div. a medical ethicist, author of the newly published Ethical Theory and Pertinent Standards in Women’s Reproductive Health, and CEO of CompassCare Pregnancy Services. He pioneered the first measurable and repeatable medical model in the pregnancy center movement and has written extensively on medical ethics, pro-life policy, and executive leadership. Rev. Harden has developed materials and strategies used by hundreds of pregnancy centers nationwide, helping them become more effective at serving women and saving babies from abortion.

Opinion: There is enmity between Muslims and Jews. That has been obvious for ages. Muslims also don’t have much love for Christians. That is becoming obvious this Christmas season.

As Americans gather to celebrate Christmas, both specularly and religiously, Muslims—in particular, those of a pro-Palestine disposition—are disrupting Christmas events across the nation.

In Ypsilanti, Michigan, a pro-Muslim mob disrupted a Christmas tree lighting ceremony. The mob ruined the joyful spirit of the celebration and scared children.

“I think we made the point. We came here, we disrupted the event, we canceled Christmas, so give it up for yourselves,” a protester yelled to the mob.

“Christmas is canceled everywhere until Palestine is free,” another protester yelled.

The mob later broke into a building where the Ypsilanti Youth Choir was singing. The rioters screamed as the children tried to sing Christmas carols.

In Seattle, pro-Palestinian demonstrators took over the stage where the city’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony was supposed to take place. They used a microphone to lead the crowd in anti-Israel chants.

The Seattle Times reported, “A speaker said the demonstration was organized by a collective group in response to a push by the Palestinian Youth Movement to ‘shut it down’ on Black Friday, calling for rallies at commercial centers.”

During the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Boston, CBS News reported, “This year there was no way to ignore the chants from roughly a hundred pro-Palestinian protesters who had gathered at the event. The Boston Coalition for Palestine brought signs, banners, and flags to their rally. At times it was hard for some of the revelers attending the tree lighting ceremony to hear the music and presenters on stage.”

Although the pro-Palestinian protests supposedly didn’t disrupt the tree-lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center, it was probably because police were aware that a protest would happen and took steps to keep it away from the holiday revelers. However, fights did break out among the protesters, and arrests were made.

Scaring people, disrupting Christian events, and destroying property are tactics of terrorists. While these tactics are uncomfortable for the victims, events like the Hamas terror and subsequent Israeli defense are used as recruitment of weak-minded, leftwing extremists who then mobilize direct-action protests like the ones seen recently. They are no different than the BLM riots that have fallen out of vogue or the Jane’s Revenge attacks on churches and pregnancy centers or Stop Cop City eco-terrorism. When local law enforcement try to keep the peace, the terrorists cry power abuse and recruit more to their cause. The lack of law enforcement emboldens more destruction, which in turn creates a recruitment opportunity for college students indoctrinated and supported by mid-level Marxists employed by the university. And if you look carefully at all these types of attacks and attackers, you’ll find that not only do use the same 4th Generation warfare tactics but they all have the same “blac bloc” dress code.

If the Palestinians have a grievance against Israel, they deserve to be heard. There are channels for that. But how is disrupting Christmas festivities in small-town Michigan among people who have no control over what happens in Israel an appropriate place? Unless the attackers care less about Palestine and more about undermining the Judeo-Christian moral framework that undergirds the nation-state system represented by the Israel America supports. Attacking Israel and murdering and raping innocent people should be our first clue that those who can justify that barbarity are themselves also barbaric, with no concept or context for virtue.

You don’t see protests of people supporting Israel disrupting these events. Have you ever seen a pro-Israel mob? How about a pro-Israel mob terrorizing a mosque in Detroit? No. And why? Because they believe man is made in the image of God and therefore ought not to shed another man’s blood. They seek to protect life and live at peace. They are not bloodthirsty for global domination.

Palestinian protestors, eco-terrorists, BLMers, Jane’s Revenge thugs, and Transgender activists are often the same Marxist Antifa. A recent Marxist recruitment communique for the Antifa front group Jane Revenge states, “We fight not just for abortion rights, but for trans liberation, ecological harmony, decolonization, the destruction of white supremacy and capitalism, and the uprooting of the entire global civilization…. So far its just been pregnancy crisis centers, but tomorrow it might be your cars, your homes, or even your lives. We support a diversity of tactics….”

Pro-Palestinian protests are just another tactic. Antifa is the Hamas of the modern west. They are the same. Their common goal is a global domination. Their strategy is the destruction and dismantling of Judeo-Christian morality and the free market economic framework that undergirds the nation-state system. Hamas’ Sharia law—like Antifa’s Marxism—and representative democracy can never co-exist.

They have declared war and reject all overtures of peace. They are revolutionaries and will not back off unless stopped or converted. We deceive ourselves to think these are isolated incidents. We ignore them to our peril.

Christmas is a time when Christians proclaim through parties and lights and gifts, what the Christ child represents: God’s gift of peace to a dark and murderous world. The gift we all long for has been granted if only we would take it, peace on earth.

,‘Tis the season to be jolly, not jerks’
Click on this headline to read the full report at Tulsa Today.

Dr. Ebony Johnson became the first black woman to be elected permanent Superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) shortly after 11 pm December 11, 2023. Her election was the highly anticipated result of this regularly scheduled school board meeting.  A record-breaking crowd, having waited one and one-half hours for the executive session to conclude, cheered and took photos to commemorate the occasion. Dr. Johnson’s tenure as Superintendent of TPS starts immediately and runs through June 30, 2026. 

The board vote was four in favor, two against and one abstention. Board members E’Lena Ashley and Dr. Jennettie Marshall voted no, and Dr. Jerry Griffin abstained.

The following day board member Dr. Jerry Griffin tendered his resignation effective January 2, 2024. He said that the timing is not related to the board’s decision, but rather to his career decision.  He is preparing to launch a national tour to promote his vision of educational reform based on a book he has written.

Over the next several days various stakeholders weighed in. State Superintendent of Education Ryan Walters labeled the board a “rubber stamp” and said it is “barreling toward drastic action”. Tulsa Mayor Bynum said that he agrees with Superintendent Walters pushing TPS for academic excellence, but disagrees with how he has gone about pursuing it. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt recommended that everyone should calm down and give Dr. Johnson the benefit of the doubt and the chance to see if she can change TPS’s academic outcomes.

Now for the details of this historic board meeting which opened with a flag ceremony presented by the Booker T Washington Jr. ROTC. Atypically there were no special presentations, or any minutes presented for approval. Also atypically, there were three opportunities for citizen comments – (1) the action agenda about a school partnership, (2) general subjects, and (3) non-routine items (the employment of Dr. Ebony Johnson). There is always one such opportunity, occasionally two, rarely three!

The consent agenda, the next item of business, had forty-nine items.  Counting the provided backup information, the consent agenda was thirty-seven pages long. Board member Lamkin, referring to an item about Power School, asked if the money allocated would be or could be used to allow parents to view their student’s cumulative GPA. She was assured that it would give parents all the information needed to be sure that their student was on track for graduation.

Board member Dr. Jerry Griffin asked about an item he believed was on the encumbrance report regarding Inside Education, LLC. That item was not found on the current encumbrance report. The consent agenda passed with six “yes” votes, Dr. Griffin voted “present”.

The meeting proceeded to Citizen comments on the action agenda item which concerned the status of the Four Mothers Academy partnership with TPS. The one public commenter prayed for guidance since the decision will have lasting impact.  The board rejected the application for partnership because the application was incomplete. Six board members agreed while board member Diamond Marshall voted “present”.

Two “general subjects” citizens’ comments followed. Ashley Daly spoke against State Superintendent Walters and the State Board of Education gaining control of TPS and in favor of keeping Dr. Johnson. The second speaker read her parody of the 12 Days of Christmas expressing her anxiety and frustrations about TPS’s delayed accreditation.

Next Dr. Johnson gave the superintendent’s report. She began her report with thanks to the board and community for making her the interim superintendent and for their continued support. She especially thanked educators, support staff, counselors, and administrators as well as family and friends – many present in the room for her report.

As of her report she had served 57 days as the interim superintendent. She made twelve school visits, had sixty-five community engagements, and met with 100s of families.  She is focused on (1) mobilizing staff talent to address the needs of the most challenged school sites and to dramatically increase high school graduation, (2) increasing oversight to promote academic improvement in all sites, (3) reducing chronic absenteeism with parental and community assistance, and (4) developing greater financial transparency. Her motto is “SUCCESS IS THE ONLY OPTION.”

Her report is available online as part of the recording of the 12/11/23 meeting on Tulsa Public Schools Livestream at https://tpstv.viebit.com

The next item, item L on the agenda, was to “Approve an emergency suspension of any requirements that may exist for posting, recruiting, and advertising the position of superintendent of school pursuant to Board Policy 1201”.  This was the “hot button” of the meeting.

Board member Lamkin read a prepared motion that detailed the specific positions that are open or will soon become open in the TPS administration that would/may constitute the “emergency” noted in the paragraph above. It was seconded by board vice president Croisant. An often meandering and confusing discussion followed. 

The first element, brought up by board member Dr. Griffin, was why the board is addressing emergency suspension of any requirements surrounding offering a contract to Dr. Johnson before the board has even decided to offer such a contract.

Board counsel answered saying that comments had been received threatening legal action based on the commentor(s) reading of the Board Policy if the board offers a contract. Dr. Griffin stated his opinion that the board should first decide if they will offer a contract and then decide if they wish to suspend any procedural requirements.

Dr. Marshall stated that she sees the current move as a way to circumvent policy. She said it appears similar to past instances in which selected members of the board including the president and vice president and later she herself knew things about the departure of Dr. Gist, the selection of Dr. Johnson as interim superintendent, and the plans surrounding searching for a permanent superintendent that other board members did not know.

Dr. Marshall sees the process as “clouded” and the board as not being transparent or as including all the board members. She referred to an “ad hoc committee”. She believes that the board has already violated policy and would like to start a national search. Board counsel noted that there is a motion on the floor that must be dealt with first.

Dr. Marshall then moved to table agenda item “L” and Dr. Griffin seconded. Board member Diamond Marshall pointed out she was not at any ad hoc meetings. Dr. Marshall apologized for not making it clear that the “Marshall” she referred to in her earlier comments was herself.  She clarified that she was a member of an ad hoc committee to consider a search for a permanent superintendent and had only recently learned that other board members were not aware of the committee’s existence.

President Woolley then revealed that she had decided to form an ad hoc committee. Dr. Griffin interjected that he is not against Dr. Johnson, but against the process. Dr. Marshall asked to hear the policy covering the formation of ad hoc committees and those present learned that ad hoc committees have been used in TPS for many years.

Continued discussion revealed that Dr. Griffin was asked if he was interested in an ad hoc committee, and he said “no”. He said he viewed the “asking” as exploratory not as an “invitation to join such a committee.” As the discussion went on it appears that the ad hoc committee consisted of Stacy Woolley, Susan Lamkin, and Dr. Marshall. John Croisant was invited, declined, and recommended that Dr. Marshall be invited.

There followed a discussion about “emergency” and whether the board could further discuss the definition and what to do about it in executive session. Board member Diamond Marshall urged that they move away from talking about the ad hoc committee and definitions and on to voting about whether to declare an emergency.

There was some additional discussion about how helpful declaring an emergency would be to insulate board against any legal action for not following policy. Board counsel opined that it would have more impact on decisions made in the current board meeting than on previous board actions or inactions. 

Board president Woolley called the question concerning tabling the motion to declare an emergency. The motion failed four to three with board members Ashley, Dr. Griffin, and Dr. Marshall voting “yes”.

Board president Woolley then called the question on the motion to declare an emergency.  The motion passed four to three with board members Dr. Marshall and Ashley voting “No” and Dr. Griffin abstaining.

Item “M” public comments on non-routine items – hiring Dr. Johnson as permanent superintendent – was the next agenda item. Eighteen of the twenty-two speakers who signed up to speak, spoke.  Eleven spoke in favor of hiring Dr. Johnson as TPS’s permanent superintendent and seven speakers were opposed.

The majority of the speakers in opposition were not opposed to Dr. Johnson, in fact many praised her work. They were, however, unified in opposing not having a nationwide search in accordance with TPS board rules.  Several of the speakers also noted that the current administrative vacancies do not justify declaring an emergency designed to circumvent the board rules.

Three hours and two minutes into this board meeting, the board went into executive session.  They returned to open session one and one-half hours later.

The board unanimously agreed to return to open session.  Board Vice President Croisant moved to hire Dr. Johnson as Superintendent of TPS effective immediately pursuant to the contract agreed upon in executive session.  This was seconded by board member Lamkin. 

Board member Diamond Marshall then asked VP Croisant if he would accept an amendment to his motion to add a year to the contract agreed upon in executive session.  He agreed.  Board counsel asked VP Croisant to read the amended motion before the vote was called.  The amended motion made it clear that, if the motion passed, Dr. Johnson would become Superintendent effective immediately and her contract would end June 30, 2026.

Before the vote was called, board member Dr. Griffin thanked former mayor Susan Savage for pointing out that he was the first person who wanted to offer Dr. Johnson a contract as superintendent. He added that he is confident that Dr. Johnson will do a wonderful job.  Board member Dr. Marshall said that the board violated the executive session rules by speaking about an item that the attorney said they should not speak about.  Board member Ashley stated that the board was now setting a precedent for students and future boards that it is alright to ignore established board policies.

The vote was called, the amended motion passed with four “yes” votes, two “no” votes and one “abstention”.  Board members Ashley and Dr. Johnson voted “no” and Dr. Griffin abstained. The date of the next scheduled board meeting (January 8, 2024, at 6:30 pm) was announced and the room erupted into heartfelt sustained applause.

In the days following the regular board meeting, board president Stacey Woolley called a special meeting for December 18 at 9 am. The meeting was intended to last throughout the day.  The primary purpose of the meeting was to discuss revisions to TPS Board Goals 1, 2, 1.2 and 3.3 and the removal of Guardrails 1, 3, and 5 in a conversation facilitated by the Council of Great City Schools’ representatives. The agenda included an executive session to discuss “pending claims or actions” concerning the Oklahoma Teacher Retirement Services. Those goals and guardrails are listed in “Pathways to Opportunity” TPS’ 2022-2027 Strategic Plan and are available on the TPS website.

This board meeting did not occur because the board did not have a quorum. On the morning of Monday December 18 only three of the seven board members came to the meeting room, 200-C in the Charles C. Mason Education Service Center. Stacey Woolley, John Croisant, and Susan Lamkin attended and had informal discussions about goals for about five hours. The remaining board members had various conflicts with the meeting time and date including doctor’s appointments.

At the time of this writing there are no additional special board meetings scheduled.

,Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson
Click on this headline to read the full report at Tulsa Today.

Opinion: My cousin was killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting. Up until then, the media had trained me to be fearful of guns and to stereotype proponents of the Second Amendment as Southern, redneck racists. I grew up in a household where most of the world’s ills were blamed on Republicans, and my parents voted Democrat down the ballot.

“They are the empathetic ones who care about the little guy,” my mother would say.

However, my cousin’s death stirred up questions inside of me: Why do schools brandish “gun-free zone” signs when government buildings and Hollywood homes are protected with armed guards or security? Why does the media believe ordinary Americans must remain defenseless against unhinged psychopaths who shoot up schools?

These questions led me to a profound realization: the reason America has not been overtaken by a tyrannical government or foreign adversaries is because of our Second Amendment. In the event that we needed one, this country would have the most robust militia in the entire world. But despite having more guns than people in this country, we have not fought a single war on our soil since the Civil War.

In 1911, Turkey established gun control, and between 1915 and 1917, the government rounded up and exterminated 1.5 million Armenians. In 1929, when the Soviet Union implemented strict gun laws, 20 million were slaughtered over the course of the next 24 years. The same fate awaited 20 million Chinese, 100,00 Mayan Indians, one million Cambodians, six million Jews, and 300,000 Christians, immediately after the regimes of China, Guatemala, Cambodia, Germany, and Uganda enacted gun laws in the 20th century, respectively. The biggest mass genocides in history were always perpetrated by governments against the people.

I am currently banned from performing in venues across Germany, due to my political worldview that, according to one booking agent, is “too pro-gun and pro-Trump.”  Imagine the irony of a country once responsible for the murder of one out of every three Jews on earth, not allowing me, an orthodox Jew, inside their borders because of my belief in a policy that could have potentially saved my ancestors in 1940s Europe.

I owe it to my grandparents who died in the Holocaust to protect my family. More importantly, as a law-abiding citizen, I owe it to the Americans who died so that I could be free. I would rather assume the risks that come with freedom than risk potential “peaceful” enslavement as a result of a zero-gun policy.

The first time I attended a gun show, I saw how gun culture in America is more diverse than any progressive political gathering I have witnessed.  In the last few years, women, and specifically black women, have become the largest purveyors of legal guns in this country. They see how our institutions have emasculated men to the point of destroying the chivalry that once held our great society together.

The problem with guns is not the Second Amendment. It is the video games, music, and movies that glorify gang violence and the use of illegal firearms in virtually any scenario except that of self-defense. It is the agenda-driven media that cares more about white shooters than minority shooters, and white children occasionally killed in the suburbs than black children regularly killed in Chicago.

But these arguments are cultural and not fundamental. The deeper truth is that America’s founding fathers did not instantiate the right and duty of a citizen to defend oneself from the threat of another citizen. They instantiated this duty based on their clear-eyed, experienced understanding that governments have a monopoly on violence. The contradictory activist-push of simultaneously defunding the police and banning guns renders both citizens and law enforcement helpless in the face of a government flush with weapons. Such conditions are a recipe for disaster, as we have learned from history. 

In a perfect world, I would be anti-gun. But I live in the real world. As long as any bad guy, whether a despotic dictator or a psychotic mass shooter can legally or illegally get a gun, I should not be denied the right to obtain my own.

Editor’s Note: This post was first shared by Robert W. Malone MD from his Substack site “Who is Robert Malone.” Readers may click here for that original posting.

,Why I am No Longer a Democrat
Click on this headline to read the full report at Tulsa Today.

The State Board of Education (SDE) set “a bit more ambitious goals” during the November 30, 2023, monthly meeting by passing two board orders and added that Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) will continue to report monthly progress to the SDE. The new goals followed the TPS team’s monthly progress report on the goals that they had proposed and reported on during the October SDE meeting. The events of the week following this meeting set the stage for the well-attended special TPS Board Meeting of Monday December 11, 2023.

The first goal asks TPS to at least increase the percent of students who score basic or above from the current 41% to 46% (a 5% increase, 773 students) and asks TPS to shoot for 50% (a 9% increase, 1,391 students).

Note that when TPS reaches the 50% level that means that 50% of the students remain at the “below basic” or below grade level. Also note that “basic” does not mean that a student has mastered the requirements of the grade level tested. As TPS Interim Superintendent Johnson frequently says, “We have a lot of work to do.”

The second goal requires TPS to train ALL teachers and administrators in the science of reading not just 95% of all the elementary teachers and 95% of those secondary teachers involved in reading intervention work as proposed by TPS.

Todd Lofton, head of academic affairs for the state board, presented the state board’s response to TPS’s current efforts. He explained that the science of reading training needs be at least the available online 14-hour training course and that he expects that those teachers whose primary responsibilities are improving student reading skills will receive the more in-depth training modules available.

The third goal means that 12 of the 18 schools currently on the “F” list will get off that list by improving their academic standing, being restructured, or being closed.

The fourth goal addresses what appears to be a communication breakdown between the TPS Finance Team and the SDE Finance Team.

Throughout SDE’s comments about TPS’s work to improve students’ academic success board members, especially Don Burdick who represents Tulsa and Superintendent Ryan Walters, heavily praised Interim Superintendent Dr. Johnson and her team for their work and openness to help and oversite. Members of the SDE team have made an unprecedented 108 site visits to 44 TPS schools and consistently found TPS staff open to observation and suggestions and working hard to improve student outcomes.

While the revised academic goals may appear to some TPS supporters to be too severe or to signal a SDE desire to take over, SDE Board Member Don Burdick repeatedly pointed out that the goals are within TPS’s reach based on Dr. Johnson’s reports that student academic growth has already begun. The SDE is doing what it said it would do: work with TPS, offer advice, provide resources, and monitor progress.

The fourth goal refers to the SDE objective for TPS’s financial transparency and improved financial controls.  Dr. Johnson reported a list of five completed actions: 

• review & approval process for Foundation for Tulsa School disbursements
• a conflict-of-interest process for new employees
• updated procurement processes
• a revised vendor setup process
• new fiscal reports

TPS Chief Financial Officer, Robles, provided additional details and information establishing that TPS is spending more money on teacher compensation and instruction than last year.

Attorney Brian Cleveland gave SBE’s comments about TPS’s financial reports.  He pointed out that while there has been change, the financial team is looking for more specificity regarding how funds are spent than is currently available in the TPS financial reports.  He provided several examples in which substantial funds using a purchase card or spent in accordance with a contract were listed simply as “miscellaneous”, “training services”, or “contract for services”. The two financial teams have been emailing but need to meet in person in Tulsa to collaborate and go over specificity. The aim is to achieve transparency and clarity, particularly for the encumbrance report.

As is customary, this SDE Board meeting began with a roll call (all six board members were present).  The meeting then opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, Salute to the Oklahoma State Flag and a Prayer. These were followed by Superintendent Walters’ report to the board. He first spoke about the successful tutoring programs held by Western Heights, OKC, Epic and Tulsa (among many others) during the Thanksgiving break and noted that they would also be held during the Christmas break. This tutoring feeds into community tutoring that will be starting in January when the state can begin to pay for that tutoring.

Second, Superintendent Walters noted that out of state groups continue to target students and teachers exercising their freedom of religion. The outside group(s) want atheism to be the de facto religion of Oklahoma schools. SDE will continue to push back on these efforts.

Third, Superintendent Walters talked about establishing rules and regulations linking academic outcomes to the accreditation process. By state statute Oklahoma accreditation standards should equal or exceed nationally recognized standards that are consistent with an academic results-oriented approach. Current accreditation standards do not consider student outcomes. 

In the coming several months a working team will be proposing a rule that 50% of the students in a school district must score at basic or above in math and reading for the school to be fully accredited. Stated in the negative, if more than 50% score below basic in reading or mathematics on state assessments, then the district would receive an academic deficiency.

Once written, the rule will “go out to the public” for 60 days for comment and possible rewriting and then it will come to the SDE for a vote. If a school has a deficiency, the working team is considering expecting five percent growth per academic year to eliminate the deficiency. 

The SDE then accepted the minutes of the October 26, 2023, board meeting and public comments were received.  The first three public comments were not related to the agenda.  Commentors complained that Superintendent Walters is out of the building too much, that only three off agenda comments are too few, asked who is paying for trips away from Oklahoma, noted that the Holy Bible decries homosexual behavior and explained that a former nurse must reinstate her surrendered nursing license in order to obtain an emergency teacher certification. 

Seven “on agenda” public comments followed.  One commentor spoke about possible financial irregularities at the SDE, another indicated that it was unnecessary to require TPS to report to the SDE monthly and the final speaker thanked the SDE for protecting Virtual School Choice.  The remaining four comments were presented by members of Defense of Democracy group.  Their comments focused on ensuring that state funds are not used to support any religion and pointed out that atheism is not a religion. 

Item six on the SDE agenda was the Consent Docket.  Superintendent Walters invited board members to pull off any of the items from that docket for open board discussion.  There were five action items covering a variety of topics including authorizing abbreviated school days for several districts, alternative education programs, library media services and issuance of emergency certificates. The consent docket was unanimously accepted.

The above detailed TPS presentation, SBE response, and resulting board rules (item 7 on the agenda) followed and took up the greatest part of this board meeting.

The SBE, in item 8 on the agenda, agreed to share aggregate data with college board especially since the Oklahoma will be increasing the number and variety of AP classes in the next several years.

Item 9 on the agenda concerned a 2014 severance allowance payment to a former employee.  Last month 10 of 11 such employees were granted the appropriate allowance last month; the 11^th employee’s application lack some information that is now provided.  The item was unanimously approved.

Item 10 a-d covered various Legal Services issues and was presented by General Counsel, Bryan Cleveland. He explained that for item a, he received one complaint about a textbook used by Union Schools violating a critical race theory rule and is waiting to obtain the book.

Item b concerned certain changes to the alternative education rules insuring that appropriate funding follows the students and supports alternative educational options knowing that students’ needs differ. Attorney Cleveland explained that not all virtual school are considered alternative schools.  Item c was an addendum to a decision that was made in the October board meeting.  Items b and c passed unanimously. Item d was taken up in executive session since it involved pending litigation.

Readers should be aware that members of this board are provided with an extensive packet of information pertaining to the agenda.  Periodically during this meeting board members referred to having contacted the appropriate person(s) at SDE with their questions and having received satisfactory answers. The backup information is available to the public on the SDE website.

The events of the week following this SDE board meeting set the stage for the well-attended special TPS Board Meeting of Monday December 11, 2023. That meeting is the subject of a future article.

Tuesday December 5, Tulsa Mayor Bynum wrote a letter to the TPS board members urging that they offer Dr. Johnson a contract as the Superintendent of TPS.

Thursday December 7, four hundred Tulsans wrote a letter to the TPS board members also urging that they offer Dr. Johnson a contract as the Superintendent of TPS.  The authors included two Tulsa City Councilors: Vanessa Hall-Harper and Lori Decter Wright; Oklahoma State Representative Monroe Nichols; Oklahoma teacher of the year Traci Manuel; and former Interim Superintendent of Schools LaVerne Ford Wimberly.

Thursday December 7 – late in the day – State Superintendent Walters wrote a letter/memo to Tulsa Mayor Bynum and TPS board members urging them to launch a national search for a Superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools. Superintendent Walters indicated that Interim Superintendent Johnson is not sufficiently bold in promoting aggressive change and that local leaders should be involved in helping to select the next TPS Superintendent.

Friday December 8 the Tulsa World published part of a requested comment from TPS board president, Stacey Woolley.  She wrote in part “And it is impossible for a temporary leader to create permanent change.” This indicates a shift from her thinking during the most recent regular TPS board meeting on November 27 when the board only offered a resolution in favor or Dr. Johnson. 

Monday December 11 Interim Superintendent Dr Johnson wrote a memo responding to State Superintendent Walter’s memo. It included her:

• Knowing that selection of a superintendent is, by law, under the control of the local board of education

• Fearing that a national search would delay filling top leadership positions in TPS leadership since well-suited individuals are unlikely to leave current jobs without assurance of who will be in charge of the school district

• Acknowledging the support expressed by SDE board members for her taking urgent actions and doing a great job

• Pointing out her transparent, bold and aggressive leadership taking on all obstacles in the way of improved student outcomes since interim appointment

• Assuring all that there is not, nor will there be a “culture of failure” during her watch

The drive to improve public education in Tulsa will continue, as will coverage on Tulsa Today.

,OK Board of Ed Resets TPS Goals
Click on this headline to read the full report at Tulsa Today.

I wanted to take some time to reflect on what was a productive, and at times, challenging year and give a preview of what constituents can expect for the year ahead.

In-Person Town Halls

By far my favorite part of this year was having the opportunity to host 60 in-person town halls throughout Oklahoma’s 2^nd Congressional District. From Washington and Ottawa all the way down to Bryan and McCurtain counties, it has been an honor to travel throughout the district and meet so many wonderful people. Learning from the late Senator Tom Coburn, I have always believed that in-person town halls are the best way for Members of Congress to learn and hear from their constituents. While holding these town halls, I have had the opportunity to meet so many constituents from all walks of life—many of whom share the same concerns. Whether a Republican, Independent, or Democrat, constituents are understandably worried about where our nation is headed due to our nearly $34 trillion national debt, our porous Southern border, and the immoral cultural rot that has spread throughout the country. In 2024, you can count on us hosting more in-person town halls throughout the district where you can come and ask questions and have your voice heard!

Cutting Spending

As many may know by now, the significant focus of our office is to cut wasteful government spending so that we can begin to make a dent in our national debt. It is this ballooning debt that is leading the average American family to spend $1,200 more per month to buy the exact same goods and services as compared to January 2021. I am proud to say that this year I requested $55.3 billion in cuts, voted for amendments that would cut $35.7 billion, and introduced and cosponsored bills that would cut $360 billion of annual federal spending. When it comes to cutting spending, we still have a long way to go in Washington, D.C. Many politicians are not comfortable cutting spending, regardless of how small.

Securing Our Borders

As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I have seen firsthand the devastating effects of our border crisis and had the opportunity to visit our Southern border back in February and in March. Not only does the Biden Administration’s negligence on our border undermine our national security, but it also is punishing the American taxpayer. It is estimated that the crisis on our Southern border costs American taxpayers around $450 billion per year. I introduced the No Obamacare for Illegal Aliens Act of 2023 to protect taxpayer dollars by preventing illegal aliens from receiving taxpayer-subsidized healthcare benefits. I also introduced the DHS Border Services Contracts Review Act to ensure the federal government is spending taxpayer dollars in a responsible manner when executing government contracts at the Southern border. I am proud to say that this legislation passed in Committee.

Returning to Biblical Morality and Founding Principles

In addition to spending cuts and our border crisis, I am also laser-focused on helping our nation return to our founding principles and biblical morality. As President John Adams said back in 1798: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Unfortunately, America has drifted away both from God and the advice of our Founding Fathers. In my first term, I introduced several bills that can help our nation get on a better path. Just last month, I introduced the Protecting Religious Freedom for Foster Families Act, which would prohibit the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from implementing its proposed rule to discriminate against foster parents who do not affirm LGBTQ ideology. I am proud to say this bill got passed as an amendment to the Labor and Health and Human Services (LHHS) spending bill. I also introduced the No Taxpayer Funding for Researchers Who Prey on Children Act, which would prohibit any individual who has been a principal investigator/project leader for any study that facilitated “gender-affirming care” or affirmed a minor’s identity in conflict with his or her sex from receiving federal financial assistance for future studies or experiments.

Fighting Back Against Biden’s Bureaucrats

President Biden has used the Executive Branch as a weapon against the American people. Unelected bureaucrats are frequently making consequential decisions and instituting rules and regulations that impact the lives of the American people—all without the authority of elected officials in Congress. That is why one of Republicans’ first acts this Congress was to fire the 87,000 IRS agents that Biden hired to target middle-class Americans. I also introduced several bills aimed at fighting back against the regulatory state. The Deregulating Restrictions on Interstate Vehicles and Eighteen-Wheelers (DRIVE) Act, which would prohibit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) from implementing any rule or regulation requiring vehicles over 26,000 pounds that are engaged in interstate commerce to be equipped with a speed limiting device set to a maximum speed. Additionally, I introduced the Stop Government Overreach in Ranching Act, which would reverse FDA guidance, “GFI 263,” which restricts the use of commonly used livestock antibiotics, such as penicillin, LA 200/300 (oxytetracycline), sulfa-based antibiotics, gentamicin, and a host of other antibiotics that are often bought at local feed stores.

As we look to 2024, I will continue to focus on pursuing policies that cut wasteful spending, secure our borders, and help our nation return to the principles of biblical morality. It has been an honor to serve the constituents of Oklahoma’s 2^nd Congressional District and I look forward to 2024 and the chance to continue to work for you!

Editor’s Note: This column by first appeared in The McCarville Report and is reprinted by request.

,OK Rep. Brecheen: My First Year in Congress
Click on this headline to read the full report at Tulsa Today.

The leaders of three major universities recently became free-speech absolutists – when it comes to defending anti-Semitic calls for genocide at student rallies. But if you “misgender” a man wearing women’s clothes, look out.

The ever-shifting standards of college presidents when it comes to free-speech protections is one reason U.S. citizens have an increasingly negative view of a college education. A July poll by Gallup found that just 36% of Americans have confidence in higher education with only 17% expressing a “great deal” of confidence, and a March poll by The Wall Street Journal found 56% of American say the cost of a four-year degree is not worth it.

Harvard University President Claudine Gay, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill, and MIT President Sally Kornbluth recently appeared before a U.S. House Committee and were roundly criticized when they refused to say that calls for the genocide of Jews would constitute a violation of their universities’ codes of conduct.

If those schools took the same hands-off approach to other speech, particularly far less objectionable speech, the presidents’ actions might be forgivable. But, to cite just two examples, in 2017 Harvard revoked admission for 10 incoming freshmen because of memes they shared on social media. At a mandatory training last year, Harvard undergraduates were told “fatphobia” and “using the wrong pronouns” qualified as “abuse” and perpetuated “violence” on campus.

In the upside-down world of academia, calls for violence may be protected speech but speech calling a man in a dress “he” can be an act of violence.

Sadly, we’ve seen similar patterns in Oklahoma.

In 2021, OU volleyball player Kylee McLaughlin sued the university after she faced retribution from coaches for disagreeing with a documentary (which the team was required to watch) that compared today’s Republicans to 1950s segregationists. In a court brief, OU responded by again calling McLaughlin a bigot (without providing evidence) and dismissed her defense of free speech as an “inimical rant.”

In contrast, when OU student protestors recently chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” OU officials said nothing. The chant is broadly understood as a call for the elimination of Israel and even the extermination of Jews.

Oklahoma State University has similar free-speech problems and is currently fighting a lawsuit that claims the university’s harassment, computer, and bias-incidents policies violate students’ First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

It is no surprise these worrisome trends are growing in tandem with colleges’ “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) regimes., which foster tribalism and discrimination. If Oklahomans want our colleges to be shielded from the racist nonsense seen elsewhere, a good first step is to purge them of DEI influence.

About the author: Jonathan Small serves as president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (www.ocpathink.org).

,Free Speech College Double Standard
Click on this headline to read the full report at Tulsa Today.

Thirty-one percent of the students in Tulsa Public Schools are acquiring English in addition to their other coursework. As of this 11/27/23 regular board meeting “that is 10,395 students from prekindergarten through 12^th grade” reported Dr. Grisso, Executive Director of Language and Cultural Services.

The number grows daily with 100 English Language Learners (ELLs) being added each week since late October of this year. A sizeable portion of ELLs in the secondary schools have had limited schooling and/or sizeable gaps in their education. A large number of the enrollees have no previous school records and/or no readily available way to acquire them.

By the end of 2022 TPS received 1,717 new ELLs. Now, near the end of 2023 TPS has received 2,098.  Dr. Grisso projects receiving 4,206 by the end of 2024. At the current time, based on current state testing requirements, English language learners make up 10% of the State Report Card.

Only about 10% of the ELLs were not born in America.  Some of the ELLs can read, but not in English.  All of the ELLs could greatly benefit from the specialized services of English Learning Development (EDL)Teachers. The vast majority of all the students acquiring English are in the classrooms with students whose primary language is English or who have successfully “graduated” from needing the special assistance of EDL teachers.

Unfortunately, there is a severe shortage of EDL teachers.  The shortage at the secondary level (19.5 positions) is four times higher than at the elementary level (4.5 positions). Additionally, Oklahoma only offers teaching certificates in English and Spanish potentially limiting the variety of multilingual teachers. It isn’t difficult to see the possible benefit of more teachers with various second and third languages.

The first language of the majority of new ELLs being added to TPS is Spanish with most of those students coming from Mexico or Venezuela.  There is a growing number of students from Micronesia, a subregion of Oceania, whose native language is Chuukese.

Here are a few additional facts.

• A student with virtually no English should become proficient in English in seven to ten years.

• Newcomers and long-term learners (five years in the program) are the two largest ELL groups.

• Younger students generally acquire English faster than older students.

• Progress in language acquisition tends to plateau in middle school.

• It is difficult to determine which ELLs also have a learning disability.

• Students who come to TPS at age 17 or 18 will likely “age out” [not complete graduation requirements before the state established end of public education – currently age 21] and therefore not graduate.

• Once English language learners master English they tend to be the better students.

TPS’s Interim School Superintendent Dr. Johnson calls all of this “a beautiful challenge”. Through it all students defined as “multilingual learners” are making progress acquiring English. Multilingual learners are students who score “below a composite proficiency of 4.8/6.0 on the ACCESS 2.0 test”, an English language proficiency test.

Goal monitoring reports (see table below) presented at this board meeting showed that the percentage of K-5 multilingual learners meeting their annual English language proficiency growth targets went from 32% in May 2021 to 44.7% in May of 2022 and to 45.9% in May of 2023. This exceeds the 45% target goal set for May of 2026. Clearly that goal was attainable, but not even close to aspirational!

The percentage of 6-8 grade multilingual learners meeting their targets is also improving, but at a predictably slower rate. Recall that “Progress in language acquisition tends to plateau in middle school”.

For this group of students, the percentage meeting their annual English language proficiency growth targets went from 19% in May 2021 to 20.5% in May of 2022 and to 22.2% in May of 2023. The goal is to go up to 25% by 2026. Given the data and the known history of language acquisition the 25% goal is attainable and realistic.

The research on setting realistic versus aspirational goals is mixed. Some results suggest that people push to get to the goal. Other results suggest that when the goal is unrealistically high people quit trying. It might be worth setting a somewhat higher goal with a “carrot” or prize at the end such as a pizza party or game day especially for the 6-8 grade learners.

The monthly budget update recently instituted by Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer Robles followed the examination of the Goal Monitoring Reports. The update showed that TPS has more money available this year than projected. The plan is to add $17 million to the rainy-day fund. This plan provides the school with the money to get ready for the beginning of school year 2023-2024 before the annual funding starts coming into the district.

On a side note, on 11/17/23 CFO/COO Robles announced that he intends to leave TPS at the end of January 2024 to pursue studies and opportunities through the Yale School of Management Fellowship for Public Education Leadership. He joined TPS in May 2018. 

This informative school board meeting ended with board member reports, citizens’ comments, the superintendent’s report and one “other non-routine item”.

Board Member Diamond Marshall praised activities in several of her schools.  There were two citizen comments. The first speaker challenged board members to take a “deep dive” into current TPS teacher-tested effective classroom discipline and take advantage of free discussion facilitating services offered by the speaker.  The second speaker challenged the board to eradicate poverty because “all problems come from poverty”.

In her report Interim Superintendent Dr. Johnson challenged all the members of the TPS community to come together to focus on improving school attendance.  She rightly noted that chronic absenteeism is a serious issue and that students have to be present to benefit from education. She suggested that everyone reach out to people they know to say that they care about them and about education.

Additionally, Dr. Johnson explained that labels have an impact and shared what she hoped is a beneficial re-framing of the alphabetical rating of schools as follows:

      F = Focus

      D = Developing

      C = Competitive

      B = Breakthrough

      A = Accomplished

The final business item was a board vote to enter into a “resignation agreement with Patricia Lewis”. That item passed with a six to zero vote. Board Member Dr. Marshall was not in attendance at this meeting.

The next regular TPS Board Meeting is Monday, December 11 at 6:30.  The presence of the public at these board meetings lets the board know that their work is not going unnoticed, that the quality and type of education at TPS is important, and that the public cares about the specific decisions made by specific members of this powerful board.

Note that three school board seats are up for election this year: District 2 currently held by Diamond Marshall, District 5 currently held by John Croisant and District 6 currently held by Dr. Griffin. Depending upon the viewpoints of the people elected, the TPS board could experience large and beneficial changes.

,TPS Faces Challenges of English Learners
Click on this headline to read the full report at Tulsa Today.