Tulsa superintendent details $597M bond plan for schools, safety upgrades
TULSA, Okla. – Tulsa Public Schools is asking voters to approve more than $600 million in bond proposals aimed at improving school buildings, technology and student opportunities.
Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson spoke with News On 6 about why the district says the investment is needed and how it could impact students, staff and families.
Key takeaways
- The proposed bond would fund building upgrades, technology and student programs.
- Safety improvements, including door locks and screening measures, are a priority.
- District leaders say community feedback is shaping decisions moving forward.
Q: Why is this bond proposal important for Tulsa Public Schools?
Johnson: “When we have a strong school district, we have a strong Tulsa. And so it’s so important that as we think about the needs of our students, we think about all of the academic needs that they have as well as where we want to see Tulsa.”
Q: What would the bond funding go toward?
Johnson: “When we’re thinking about, you know, books and technology, infrastructure, HVAC roofs, we’re thinking about driver’s education for students to actually get their license… making things equitable for our students around uniforms for athletics and instruments when they’re in orchestra and band.”
Q: How has the district addressed past concerns and accountability?
Johnson: “We’ve continued to do that work. It’s a part of our daily practice… we were reporting to the state on a monthly basis on all the changes that we were making for fiscal transparency, for ensuring that we were informative with the public on all the works of Tulsa Public Schools, and then just taking those incidents and issues and dealing with them head-on.”
Q: How does this proposal address school safety?
Johnson: “Safety is a top priority… when students come in, they’re actually wanded… their bags are checked… and in this bond, we’ll be able to have, if passed, locks inside of doors, and so that in the event that we ever need to do an internal lockdown, we can do that in a more safe and efficient way.”
Q: What should families know about giving feedback to the district?
Johnson: “The feedback survey is an opportunity for families to say, you know, here are the things that we feel like are working, here are the things that we would like for you to do better. It’s so important that we get that feedback because we don’t ever want to believe that we’ve got this. We want to continue to know that we’re in continuous improvement. We hear our families, and we make changes as a result of that.”…