TULSA — Reverend Chris Moore, President of the Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, was one of 70 local religious leaders who signed a letter in support of Tulsa Public Schools.
"Oh, I don't think anybody's denying there's room for improvement for TPS. The question is, how do you get that?" Moore said.
Moore, and his fellow religious leaders, have an idea. Not by, as they say, "hurling rocks," but by bridging divides.
Mayor GT Bynum has made an effort to bridge those divides; meeting with Ryan Walters, members of the TPS board, and the president of the state school board, Donald Burdick. Burdick's board will vote on TPS' accreditation Thursday night.
"I think it's always important to communicate with people. When you're just going to the media, and talking bad about people, I don't think that helps at all," said John Croisant, a member of the TPS board.
Bynum wrote an open letter, rehashing his meetings, and making suggestions. In the lengthy report, Mayor Bynum made some firm stances on a possible state takeover of TPS, saying, "the city of Tulsa does not seek this, we do not want this, and we do not need it."
As for the school's performance, the Mayor says "status quo" is not enough.
Back to the letter penned by Tulsa's clergy. Part of it said teachers are asked to "teach to a test designed in some other context."
"That's really a comment on how we've gotten in the way of teachers being able to do their job," Moore said.
Progress, the Reverend said, should not be marked in cookie-cutter fashion.
"The fact that we do accreditation every year for all our schools is a ridiculous notion," Moore said.
Nonetheless, the state board will vote on that accreditation next Thursday, and 2 News Oklahoma will continue our extensive coverage of the issue.
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