Tulsa Public Schools is an independentschool district serving theTulsa,Oklahoma area inNortheastern Oklahoma. As of 2022, it is the largest school district in Oklahoma, surpassingOklahoma City Public Schools for the first time since 2013.[3]As of 2022 the district serves approximately 33,211 students.[3] It is governed by an elected school board. As of November 2021, the Tulsa Public Schools district is accredited by the Oklahoma State Department of Education.[4]
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In 2022,Governor of OklahomaKevin Stitt asked the Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector to investigate the school district. The governor expressed concern over reports of financial irregularities, questions about the length of COVID-related school closures, and questions about compliance with "a new state law limiting public school instruction on race, gender and history."[5]
In 2023, State Superintendent Ryan Walters held a press conference in Tulsa to discuss concerns that could affect accreditation of the Tulsa school district. At the press conference, a member of the groupDefense of Democracy was spat upon while questioning the school board's approach to handling prayer in official settings.[6]In August 2023, Walters held another press conference to list the four areas of concern: financial mismanagement, spending more money on administration than in the classroom, reading proficiency scores that continue to decline, and failing schools.[7][8][9]
Tulsa Public Schools is made up of 45 elementary, 10 middle schools, 9 high schools, 6 alternative schools, 5 district-authorized charter schools, and 1 virtual school.[14]
The Tulsa School Board has seven members, each representing a different geographic area of the district. Each board member is elected to a four-year term, and the terms of each member are staggered so every year at least one member is up for election.[15]The school board establishes policies, manages the budget, hires the superintendent, and is the final appeals board for the district.[citation needed]The school board's authority is limited to official meetings.[citation needed]
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