Tulsa Public Schools administrators led the first of six community input meetings Sept. 29 that precede the Board of Education’s Oct. 19 vote on closing 17 schools.
“I want you to know that I do not take these types of decisions and recommendations to the board lightly,” Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson told a Martin Regional Library room filled to capacity. “These are not simply buildings. These are places where children have learned, where families have gathered, where teachers have poured into students, and where communities have built memories.”
- Previous coverage>>>Tulsa lists more than a dozen schools that could close or consolidate in money-saving move
After the superintendent and the chief strategy officer gave presentations drawing from a new district webpage on the proposal however, comments and questions fielded from parents and educators on hand expressed skepticism with the superintendent’s proposal.
“The district constantly tells us how much we’re valued and we’re appreciated, but the schools that are closing received a three hour notice before the announcement was made to the general public,” one educator said. “I do not feel valued or appreciated.”
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“How is this gonna work when we’re putting more kids into schools and making it bigger?” a parent in the crowd asked. “The classrooms are going to be bigger. Everybody’s needs are not going to be met.”…