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The superintendent of Oklahoma鈥檚 largest school district announced she would step down Tuesday in hopes of averting looming plans for the state to take control of the school system.

Tulsa, Okla., Superintendent Deborah Gist informed staff of plans to leave the district, which she has led since 2015, days before the state鈥檚 board of education plans to vote Aug. 24 on a plan to pull or downgrade the district鈥檚 accreditation. That step could allow state leaders to override local decisions or dissolve the district entirely.

The turn of events follows more than a year of criticism from Ryan Walters, the state鈥檚 elected Republican state superintendent, much of it focused on her leadership.

鈥淚t is no secret that our state superintendent has had an unrelenting focus on our district and specifically on me, and I am confident that my departure will help to keep our democratically elected leadership and our team in charge of our schools鈥搕his week and in the future,鈥� she wrote in a letter to district employees Tuesday evening. 鈥淪o I鈥檓 stepping away.鈥�

Plans for the potential state control of the Tulsa school system have drawn scrutiny from the community. Students there have held rallies, passed out informational flyers, and even called state board of education members directly to challenge the plan.

They join teachers and parents who have packed recent state and local school board meetings to question the justification for taking such a dramatic step.

A vote to intervene in Tulsa鈥檚 schools would come on the heels of a March state takeover by Texas of the Houston district, that state鈥檚 largest. Both are being scrutinized not only for the changes proposed to governance and instruction, but also for what critics claim has been an unusually politicized process.

Walters has led the charge to take control of Tulsa schools, repeatedly criticizing the 33,000-student district鈥檚 academic performance, fiscal management, and leadership.

鈥淚 am optimistic that this is a step in the right direction, that [the district] and the community takes their situation seriously,鈥� Walters said in a statement after Gist announced her departure. 鈥淔inancial transparency and academic outcomes must come next.鈥�

And at an Aug. 7 press conference held at local Republican party headquarters, Walters confirmed that he has spoken with Texas education officials about the Houston takeover and subsequent implementation of a controversial plan that includes requiring teachers at targeted schools to reapply for their jobs, layoffs in the central office, and changes to curriculum.

Walters compared Tulsa schools to a bus that has veered off of the road and 鈥済one into a tree.鈥� He called for Gist鈥檚 resignation or removal, and said 鈥渁ll options are on the table鈥� when the Oklahoma State Board of Education meets Thursday to consider the district鈥檚 accreditation status.

鈥淲e have to see substantial change,鈥� he said. 鈥淣o action is absolutely not an option here.鈥�

Those speaking out against a possible takeover accuse Walters of attempting to score political points.

鈥淚t鈥檚 flashy鈥� for conservative leaders to take over a large school system, said Tulsa 7th grade teacher Ana Barros, who has watched her students organize outside of school time to call for the district to maintain its accreditation status. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an easy political win for somebody who is trying to get on the national news, who鈥檚 trying to get on the conservative conference circuit.鈥�

Calls to downgrade accreditation

The Oklahoma state board typically reviews districts鈥� accreditation status in July. This July, board members made an unexpected move to table a decision about Tulsa, despite a recommendation from the state鈥檚 accreditation division to continue the district鈥檚 current status: 鈥渁ccreditation with warning.鈥� Four of the six board members were in a January 2023 shakeup.

Accreditors in July cited concerns that individual teachers at three Tulsa schools did not have proper certification, which the district says it has since remedied.

Oklahoma鈥檚 school accreditation system has five levels, ranging from 鈥渁ccredited with no deficiencies鈥� at the top level to 鈥渘o accreditation鈥� at the bottom. The state gains more authority to intervene with each successive downgrade.

The board previously downgraded the district鈥檚 accreditation status to its current level鈥攖wo steps above loss of accreditation鈥攍ast year after a Tulsa teacher complained that a professional development exercise that included a discussion of implicit racial bias violated a .

At his Aug. 7 press conference, Walters surfaced several other complaints:

• The district鈥檚 reading scores are below the state average. (Supporters of the district note that it is large and diverse, with more low-income students and English learners than many other school systems in the state.)
• A former district administrator from Tulsa schools last year. Gist contends the district identified the issue, self-reported it, and resolved it, but Walters insists he still has concerns about internal controls.
• Walters contends that the district spends more on administrative costs than classroom expenses. Opponents of state intervention say that figure comes from a data source that categorizes librarians and school nurses as administrative costs, rather than as student support personnel or instructional supports.
• Walters criticized a 鈥渓ack of specificity鈥� in the district鈥檚 academic improvement plans.

Separately, Walters has accused the district of violating religious freedom after a school board member said she was discouraged from praying at a graduation ceremony. He has also questioned the used by one Chinese language teacher in a district high school.

Gist has said the state should work with Tulsa leaders to improve outcomes for students, characterizing Walters鈥� calls for improvement as vague and disingenuous.

鈥淲hat we are seeing is a process that is being politicized with a very specific personal agenda,鈥� she said at a July 27 news conference.

鈥楾he hardest thing I have ever done鈥�

Gist attended Tulsa schools as a student. Before returning as superintendent, she served as a teacher in Texas, worked as a policy analyst in the U.S. Department of Education and served as the state schools chief for the District of Columbia and Rhode Island.

In her email to district employees, Gist called her decision to step down 鈥渢he hardest thing I have ever done.鈥�

鈥淭his surely seems like an unexpected time for me to say this, but serving as a leader in our schools is the most fulfilling professional experience of my life鈥攐r at least, the only thing that rivals the joy of teaching,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淭o state the painfully obvious, there is a lot that makes the job tough 鈥� tougher than it even should be.鈥�

Gist鈥檚 departure will be finalized in a special school board meeting Wednesday, she said. She plans to formally leave the district Sept. 15.

Students speak up

Tulsa students started the school year Aug. 17 with their district鈥檚 future still uncertain.

鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of scary that this is how our future is being decided,鈥� said Angel Compean, a Tulsa senior who has helped organize students in support of maintaining the district鈥檚 accreditation. He spoke hours before Gist announced her decision.

Compean said he values his district and doesn鈥檛 want the state to intervene. He recalled a 3rd grade teacher who helped him gain confidence in math, sitting beside him and working through problems one on one until concepts clicked.

He is one of 20 students as young as 11 who spoke at an Aug. 19 rally in support of the district. In the front row sat four empty chairs鈥攐ne for each Stitt-appointed state board member they invited who chose not to attend.

Lance Brightmire, a recent Tulsa graduate, joined with student activists as he waits to start school at Brown University in the coming weeks. He鈥檚 been part of phone trees to call state officials, spoken to media, and attended rallies.

Brightmire said the classroom discussions at his high school helped challenge his thinking and deepen his engagement at school.

鈥淚t鈥檚 that mix of academic liberty and the culture of thought that鈥檚 at risk,鈥� in a state takeover, he said. 鈥淭hat kind of serves as a symbol of the larger risk in the whole district.鈥�

Barros, the 7th grade teacher, said state intervention in the district will further fuel fears among teachers that they will be confronted over classroom discussions over race, current events, or moments in history like the 1921 Tulsa race massacre.

鈥淚f the most powerful person in our district is barely holding onto her job,鈥� she said of Gist the day before the superintendent announced plans to step down, 鈥渨hat about the rest of us who are trying to support our kids?鈥�