Local, state and national League positions on education all emphasize the importance of quality public education for all children. It is that goal that led us to organize a series of League-facilitated public forums to discuss the Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) Project Schoolhouse proposals that would close and/or consolidate a number of Tulsa schools.
TPS is facing a serious financial crisis which requires an additional $3.5 million cut in their budget this year. TPS also recognizes the inequities in educational opportunities and wants to make sure that every school is offering the same opportunities for children no matter what part of the city a student resides.
Our goal was to provide parents, teachers and citizens an opportunity to respond to the Project Schoolhouse recommendations as well as to allow the public to add their own ideas, sug-gestions and comments in relation to the funding crisis facing the school district.
Community Conversations were held across the city. We responded to any-one willing to host a forum in their school or community facility. And, we received many compliments on the League’s format, reporting sys-tem and professionalism when we conducted the meetings.
Without our efforts there would have been fewer opportunities to engage the citizens and parents of Tulsa Public School children to allow them input into the final decision-making process of Project School-house. The League held more public meetings than did the school district. We also posted our forum schedule and notes from our meetings on our website to ensure maximum public access.
Thank you Nancy McDonald for encouraging us to get involved and thank you everyone who made it a success.