Anguish Over Education and TPS

By Mike Mazzei

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.

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True the Vote Update

By Catherine Engelbrecht

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.

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Dr. Johnson’s Bold, Clear, Data-driven Goals

By Susan Phillips, Education Editor

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
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‘Tis the season to be jolly, not jerks’

By Jim Harden

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.

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Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson

By Susan Phillips, Education Editor

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.

Dr. Ebony Johnson, Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent
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