A new Arkansas-based corporation with ties to the Walton family — the owners of Walmart — will soon be the new landlord for five Tulsa charter schools.
The schools have operated out of Tulsa Public Schools-owned properties for years. But in an effort to cut costs, TPS put 11 properties up for surplus in October 2025 — including the home sites of Tulsa Honor Academy Middle School, Tulsa Legacy Charter School Upper Academy, College Bound Academy, Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences and KIPP Tulsa College Preparatory Middle School.
When bidding for the properties opened in February, those five schools launched a coordinated effort to bid on their home sites. Bids for adjoining parking lots at two sites failed at Monday night’s board meeting, but all building bids succeeded thanks to nearly $2.3 million in private support…