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Community, leaders weigh in on search for TPS leader

By: Sharon Phillips

Posted at 4:12 PM, Dec 08, 2023

and last updated 2023-12-08 18:52:59-05

TULSA, Okla. — A community letter calling on the Tulsa Public School Board of Education to hire Dr. Ebony Johnson as the permanent superintendent is getting much attention.

Hundreds of community members and city leaders support Dr. Johnson, but State Superintendent Ryan Walters calls for drastic change.

The letter was signed by city councilors, state reps and more than 20 faith leaders saying in part:

"Dr. Johnson has demonstrated the competence, commitment and most importantly, faith in our students and families to turn our schools around."

Just two days before, Tulsa Mayor, GT Bynum also expressed his support for Dr. Johnson asking the board to remove her “interim” title and make her the permanent superintendent.

Dr. Ebony Johnson began her role as interim superintendent on September 16, after former superintendent, Dr. Deborah Gist departed.

This week, State Superintendent, Ryan Walters addressed the TPS leadership situation in a letter of his own saying in part:

"The State Board of Education will not sit around idly while continuing to let TPS continue down the trajectory they were on under the previous leadership.

There needs to be drastic change to turn the district around, and the next Superintendent needs to be aggressive in pursuing those changes."

In response to Walters’ letter, Mayor GT Bynum issued this statement saying in part:

"I believe the best opportunity for success in achieving those goals is with an empowered superintendent who can recruit talented staff and can count on support from your team at the State Department of Education in a true team effort. I am especially grateful for your assurance of that support.”

2 News Oklahoma reached out to the TPS Board of Education School Board President, Stacey Woolley to respond to Walters’ comments and his insistence that a national search be conducted for the role.

“I think that we have to remember that we have fine talent right at our door and someone who is willing to step into a very, very hard situation and do the work, particularly someone who is so uniquely qualified as Dr. Johnson having been born and raised in north Tulsa and understanding the complexities of the children's lives that we are trying to serve - that we really need to be careful about actually capitalizing and utilizing that local talent -- rather than thinking that throwing the net far doesn't always mean we are going to get the best candidates,” said Woolley.

The next scheduled school board meeting is Monday at 6:30 p.m.

Right now, it’s not clear if Dr. Ebony Johnson’s status will be discussed.

Mayor G.T.Bynum's letter of support: