Resignation of Tulsa's school superintendent draws mixed reactions of outrage, optimism

Oklahoma officials reacted with a mix of surprise, frustration and support after Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Deborah Gist announced her resignation late Tuesday amid an ongoing dispute with Ryan Walters, the state schools superintendent.

“It’s no secret that our state superintendent has had an unrelenting focus on our district and specifically on me,” Gist said in an email she sent to district colleagues Tuesday. She also said she was confident her departure would prevent a state takeover of the district.

Gist’s resignation came as the Oklahoma State Board of Education prepared to hold its regular monthly meeting Thursday to reconsider the Tulsa school district’s accreditation.

At its previous meeting in July, the state board agreed with Walters' request to delay a decision on Tulsa while other districts' accreditation was approved.

Related: Tulsa Public Schools' accreditation put on hold as Ryan Walters alleges 'severe issues'

“What we have seen is a district that has failed the students,” Walters said after the July meeting.

A history of tension between Gov. Stitt, Ryan Walters, Tulsa Public Schools

Walters and Gov. Kevin Stitt have been frequent critics of the district's performance. Stitt criticized Tulsa Public Schools for closing school buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Walters has described the district as one with “significant and severe issues” and “plagued by scandal.”

The Oklahoma state auditor and inspector is currently investigating the district amid embezzlement allegations.

The state’s largest school district, Tulsa Public Schools is a predominantly nonwhite school system of more than 33,000 students.

In a statement Wednesday, Stitt said he was committed “to working with any stakeholder” wanting “to build a Top Ten education system accessible to all families and students.” He urged Tulsa's school board to conduct a nationwide search, encouraging input from families in the community, local employers, churches and nonprofits.

“We are at a pivotal point in which our decisions today, as a community and as a state, will impact an entire generation of Oklahomans,” Stitt said, “and I am confident that by working together, we can ensure these decisions set these children up for success and with hope for a bright future.”

Walters had not specifically called for Gist to resign, but had said earlier this month he would like to see a new superintendent for the district, citing students' low proficiency scores. In an email Tuesday after Gist’s resignation, Walters said he was optimistic that her resignation “is a step in the right direction” and that “TPS and the community take their situation seriously.”

“Financial transparency and academic outcomes must come next,” Walters said. “I will always put Tulsa kids first.”

More: Why is Tulsa on Oklahoma schools Superintendent Ryan Walters’ mind?

'I'm tired of all the fireworks': Leaders in Tulsa react to Gist's resignation

Gist had been the district’s superintendent since 2015 and said she will officially step away from her position Sept. 15.

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, in a statement late Tuesday, called Gist his friend and said he was “incredibly grateful” for her service to the community, highlighting her leadership during the teachers strike of 2018 and during the height of COVID-19.

“Dr. Gist took on some of the greatest challenges facing Tulsa students — from substandard teacher pay that makes it difficult for us to compete with other states, to student safety amidst the greatest public health crisis in our city’s history,” said Bynum, who will not be seeking a third term as mayor. “She was always willing to speak truth to power on behalf of the children she has dedicated her life to serving. On their behalf, and on behalf of our city, I want to thank Dr. Gist for all she has done for Tulsa.”

Rep. Monroe Nichols, D-Tulsa, who is also campaigning as a 2024 mayoral candidate, released a statement of his own late Tuesday, expressing solidarity with the school district ahead of Thursday’s state board meeting and commending Gist’s decision as “further evidence of her commitment” to Tulsa schoolchildren.

“Dr. Gist has made significant contributions in our schools, and it is my hope she stays in the Tulsa area and continues to be a champion for children across the country,” Nichols said.

Mark McBride, R-Moore, who chairs the state House subcommittee on education funding, said he hopes that Gist’s resignation would be “a step forward” amid the district official’s contentious relationship with Walters and Stitt, which he said was distracting from substantive issues.

“I’m tired of all the fireworks,” McBride told The Oklahoman on Wednesday. “I hope we can get the focus away from personalities and back where it should be — on teaching reading, writing and arithmetic, the basics. And helping make teachers feel comfortable in their jobs, not worried about being fired.”

Cherokee Nation’s Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., said late Tuesday that he was “frustrated by the attacks” toward the school district and expressed disappointment that the dispute had “led to the resignation of a great public servant and education leader” in Oklahoma.

“I urge the Oklahoma State School Board to maintain Tulsa Public Schools’ accreditation, preserve local control and work with the locally elected school board for any reforms that are deemed necessary,” Hoskin said.

State Sen. Kevin Matthews, D-Tulsa, told The Oklahoman that while he is sad to see Gist leave, he also is excited to see Ebony Johnson, the district’s current chief learning officer, take up her position in the interim.

“Dr. Johnson has this opportunity to continue her career of excellence, at every level, at Tulsa Public Schools,” Matthews said Wednesday. “While I have been a staunch supporter of Dr. Gist, I hope that the decisions being made help the State Board of Education to give Tulsa Public Schools an opportunity for success.”

Matthews said that if state schools officials remove Tulsa Public Schools’ accreditation, property values and commerce would be negatively affected throughout his district. He also said Walters has focused on every reason that the accreditation should be downgraded or revoked, rather than working with district officials on improving resources and adopting best practices.

“It’s disappointing to see things have gotten to this point,” Matthews said. “But, while I don’t always agree with certain political methodologies, I have respect and relationships with all sides of this issue. My goal is for them to come together for the best of us to rise, and that has not been what the public has been seeing.”

Contributing: William C. Wertz, The Oklahoman 

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Despite resignation, Tulsa leaders hope schools 'move forward'