TULSA, Okla. — After former Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Deborah Gist and the district mutually separated, longtime TPS staff member Dr. Ebony Johnson began the role of the interim.
Before her new role Johnson was the Chief Learning Officer at TPS serving the largest school district in Oklahoma. Johnson grew up in the district attending Walt Whitman Elementary, Gilcrease Middle School and graduating from McLain High School.
- Previous story>>> Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Deborah Gist stepping down
She earned her bachelor's degree in English Education and a masters in Educational Leadership from Northwestern State University. Finally receiving her doctoral degree in Education with a 4.0 GPA from the University of Oklahoma.
Johnson is on her 24th year with TPS starting with the district as a teacher in 1999. in 2017 she accepted a role as Executive Director of Student and Family Support Services. During this time she led the district to achieve key initiatives including a 27% decrease in out-of-school suspensions district wide.
Once again she was promoted to Chief Learning Officer which she has held since 2020. She helped develop curriculum, special projects and focused on students both mental and physical health. She continued to expand multilingual programs and aided refugee families and students to smoothly transition into TPS.
Her work in education earned her many awards including recognition from the United States Department of Education for Tulsa Public School’s outstanding work during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and Madam President award from the League of Women Voters of Tulsa in 2022 along with many more.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters is eager to see the work of new leadership in TPS:
I have been clear for months that the status quo was unacceptable and dramatic change was necessary to improve literacy and overall student outcomes among Tulsa students. With new leadership in place, TPS has an opportunity to begin to turn the corner. Our kids deserve it, and the Tulsa community expects strong leadership dedicated to excellence and improving student outcomes.
At the August State Board meeting, I was clear that TPS needed to address these areas immediately:I look forward to continuing to work with Dr. Johnson and the rest of TPS leadership toward these goals and to foster accountability, innovation, and excellence in Tulsa Public Schools. Working together, we will forge a brighter future for Tulsa kids.
- Substantial improvement in reading scores
- Enhanced financial management and internal controls
- Address failing schools to get them off the F list
Johnson stepped into the role following the departure of Dr. Deborah Gist. Gist and the district faced many attacks from Walters and the State Board of Education with accreditation threats.
- Previous story>>> 2 News interviews State Supt. Ryan Walters, TPS Supt. Deborah Gist
Gist announced her departure Aug. 22 two days prior to the official State Board of Education meeting which decided the fate of TPS's accreditation.
TPS earned its accreditation in the Aug. 24 SBOE meeting upgrading from "accreditation with warning" to "accreditation with deficiencies."
The SBOE told TPS they must submit monthly reports detailing its progress. It is unclear what those reports look like or what they must include.
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