OKLAHOMA CITY — Leaders from both the Oklahoma State Department of Education and Tulsa Public Schools openly discussed closing schools in order to keep up with accreditation standards during Thursday's monthly board meeting.
No accreditation decisions from the state board of education involving TPS were finalized, but several ideas are in the works.
TPS Interim Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson's monthly presentation to the board underlined a massive effort to improve reading and math scores as directed in August when the district's accreditation was retained "with deficiencies."
Only about 41% of TPS students currently score basic or above in math and reading standardized tests.
"There will be district office and school-level personnel changes that will take place this school year," Johnson said in her presentation. "We are also having conversations ensuring we provide best quality learning experience for our students, and in that conversation that could lend itself into some school closures."
The State Department of Education presented its own suggestions afterward, stating that more work is needed beyond TPS's current practices. The board then voted to draft a new requirement for districts facing deficiencies to raise performance by 5% or risk losing accreditation.
It also pushes for closing multiple TPS campuses with failing grades and forcing others to merge.
Superintendent Walters praised these drafted ideas, which the board approved unanimously.
"I'm not telling them which schools they need to close, but I am telling them when you look at these numbers, at that many 'F' schools, you look at the resources that you're making available, you look at some that have been on this list for years. It absolutely has to be part of the decision-making process," Walters said.
Tulsa parent Ashley Daly attended Thursday's meeting and told 2 News she's horrified by the possibility of closing schools to appease the state board.
"We need to implement standards and procedures and goals and expectations that academic experts have suggested are what actually help schools do better," Daly said. "Superintendent Walters just keeps asking TPS to do things that are unachievable."
The drafted requirements go into a 60-day public comment period to be possibly adjusted. The earliest they could be finalized and voted on is February.
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