As the Oklahoma board of education voted to retain local control of Tulsa schools Thursday, the district鈥檚 school board president called on State Superintendent Ryan Walters to tone down his sharp and often personal rhetoric, saying it put students and educators in danger.
The decision came two days after Tulsa Superintendent Deborah Gist, who had been a focus of Walters鈥� criticism, announced plans to leave the district in hopes it would avert a threatened a state takeover of Oklahoma鈥檚 largest district.
The state board voted unanimously on Thursday to maintain the school system鈥檚 accreditation 鈥渨ith deficiencies,鈥� and require monthly, in-person status reports from Tulsa school officials on efforts to improve the district鈥檚 lowest performing schools, raise rates of student reading proficiency, and adopt new fiscal policies.
In supporting the decision, Walters cited Gist鈥檚 departure.
鈥淭hey now have a leader who ran the district into the ground out of the way,鈥� Walters said. 鈥淭hey have an opportunity to change directions, and I want to see that. I want to be crystal clear: If that does not happen, I leave every option on the table.鈥�
If the district does not sufficiently improve within three or four months, further action may be taken, Walters warned.
He did not set specific benchmarks for improvement or detail what consequences the district may face for insufficient progress.
鈥淚 would advise Tulsa Public Schools and their leadership: Do not test me,鈥� he said.
Bomb threats follow sharp rhetoric
As the meeting took place, an elementary school in the Union School District, a separate district that is also located in Tulsa, faced its third bomb threat of the week,
Those threats came after Walters shared a post on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, targeting a librarian at that elementary school. The employee had shared a satirical video on TikTok mocking the idea that she is spreading a 鈥渨oke agenda鈥� because she wants to teach kids to 鈥渓ove books and be kind.鈥� Walters shared the video with the message 鈥淲oke ideology is real and I am here to stop it.鈥�
Walters had made promises that he would root out critical race theory, 鈥渞adical gender ideology,鈥� and liberal political influence in schools as part of his campaign last year for the elected position, and those themes have since become something of a personal brand. He has sharply criticized Tulsa schools鈥� approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion, highlighting claims by a school board member who said she was discouraged from praying at graduation.
Numerous public commenters at the Thursday meeting referenced the bomb threats made this week. And the Tulsa school board鈥檚 leadership took the unusual step of asking Walters to tone down his discourse.
鈥淚 would make a plea to call off the attacks,鈥� Tulsa School Board President Stacey Woolley told Walters and the state board Thursday. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 risk disruption. We can鈥檛 risk more threats. And we certainly can鈥檛 do anything that would cause harm to our students and our teachers.鈥�
While Tulsa board members accept the responsibility to 鈥渁ccelerate change,鈥� Woolley said, 鈥渢he antics and rhetoric must stop.鈥�
Two other Tulsa board members present at the meeting said they were hopeful that the 33,000-student district鈥檚 newly appointed interim superintendent, Chief Learning Officer Ebony Johnson, would bring needed change to address the state board鈥檚 concerns.
Discussions about Tulsa schools鈥� accreditation status have generated an emotional response from some students, parents, and teachers, who have packed meetings, organized rallies, and spoken to the media in hopes of preserving local control.
As the state board met Thursday, students at several Tulsa schools walked out in support of their district.
Concerns about academics, finances
Oklahoma 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.
In the time since, Walters has raised additional concerns:
- The district鈥檚 reading scores fall 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.
Oklahoma鈥檚 school accreditation system has five levels, ranging from 鈥渁ccredited with no deficiencies鈥� at the top to 鈥渘o accreditation鈥� at the bottom. The board鈥檚 vote put the Tulsa district at the second highest level, allowing it to maintain state funding and local control. Four of the six state board members were in a January 2023 shakeup.
The board previously downgraded the district鈥檚 accreditation status last year after a Tulsa teacher complained that a professional development exercise that included a discussion of implicit racial bias violated a .
Walters has continued sharp criticism since. In addition to concerns about low-performing schools, he鈥檚 flagged issues like the used by one Chinese language teacher in a district high school. At Thursday鈥檚 meeting, Walters suggested the program may amount to 鈥渋ndoctrination from a foreign government.鈥�
Public reacts to board鈥檚 decision
Woolley, the Tulsa School Board president, said she takes school improvement and literacy concerns seriously, but she urged the state board to work with the district toward solutions.
During public comment, some speakers praised Walters鈥� actions, citing concerns about liberal political influence in public schools and the long-term effects of poor academic performance.
Others said the specter of a state takeover would still loom over the district until the board sets clear, measurable goals that detail acceptable levels of progress.
Some criticized Walters鈥� leadership.
鈥淚 watched a lifelong Tulsan and a lifelong educator fall on her sword to stop what would surely be a bungled takeover, 鈥� " Tulsan Ryan Daly said of Gist at the hearing. 鈥淭hat is strong leadership. You are not a strong leader.鈥�
