Oklahoma schools chief takes aim at Tulsa district. Critics say his motives are politically driven
In his first year as head of Oklahoma's public schools, State Superintendent Ryan Walters has taken on what he describes as “radical leftists" indoctrinating students. He has sought to ban certain books from school libraries and gone after efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the classroom.
Now, the Republican who has fully embraced so-called culture war issues has a new target: Tulsa Public Schools, which is Oklahoma's largest school district and has a student body of more than 33,000 students, nearly 80% of whom aren't white. It's a notable shift for Walters to move beyond conservative rhetoric by taking substantive action against a district viewed as more liberal, and it mirrors takeover actions by leaders in other Republican-led states such as Texas that Democrats see as driven by politics.
While every other Oklahoma school district had its accreditation routinely approved by the state school board last month, Walters singled out Tulsa's for a separate review, castigating the district as failing its students because of poor performance on standardized tests and a recent embezzlement scandal, and saying publicly that “all possible actions” were being considered, including the revocation of the district's accreditation.
After hearing from several members of the Tulsa Public Schools' board, the state panel, composed of appointees of Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, voted unanimously to accredit the district “with deficiencies.” The board also voted to require district officials to make monthly reports to the state board on efforts to improve its financial controls and student performance.
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Empahsis is mine, well, really it is also his too, ain't it?!
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