Delay Likely For State BOE Hearing On Tulsa Public Schools
State Superintendent Ryan Walters is looking to delay an accreditation hearing for Tulsa Public Schools.
The hearing was scheduled for tomorrow's state school board meeting.
The Tulsa World reports Walters wants to push back looking at Tulsa Public Schools’ accreditation status to the board’s August 24th meeting.
A department spokesperson told the newspaper the decision was due to being contacted by at least one lawmaker and “concerned parties.”
TPS’ accreditation was downgraded last year over an alleged violation of a law that limits certain classroom discussions of race and gender.
That status is now up for review, and TPS officials have been advised of the state’s recommendations for its status: accredited with deficiencies. That’s the third tier of six possible accreditation levels.
The state department’s justification for the accreditation dings stems from a late report submitted to the department by the district, as well as audit findings indicating Former Chief Talent Officer Devin Fletcher was responsible for mismanaging hundreds of thousands of dollars in vendor contracts.
Election Results For Quapaw Nation
The Quapaw Nation is reshaping its business committee following a recent election.
The business committee will shape the tribal nation's policies.
Sonny Glass will be the Quapaw Nation's new vice chairman of the business committee. He replaces Callie Bowden whose term is up this year.
Glass has experience in gaming and promises more transparency.
The tribal nation elected three new business committee members -- Larry Mercer, Linda Davis and Joey Giveswater-Smith.
They also voted on 16 constitutional amendments, approving a Freedom of Information system that allows citizens to file for open records, adding more people to a grievance committee and establishing an ethics committee.
Out of more than 1,600 registered voters, 451 Quapaw citizens voted in last weekend’s election.
Extreme Heat Impacting Oklahoma Farmers
The National Weather Service is issuing heat advisories for Oklahoma this week.
Excessive heat and severe weather has changed at least one farmer’s routine this year.
Micha Anderson has 11 acres of pecan trees and a half acre of fruits and vegetables on his farm in Piedmont Oklahoma. He also works as an extension agent for Langston University.
Anderson says Oklahoma’s weather is a lot different than it was growing up.
Hail and damaging winds are more unpredictable and times of drought and rain are more intense.
This year, two weeks-worth of crops he and other researchers grew at Langston had to be disposed of due to hail damage.
This gives Anderson more reason to grow hybrid plants that can better withstand changes in Oklahoma’s weather.
“Some people like the old heirlooms, like the black diamonds and what have you, but they don't handle the extremes as well as the hybrids do,” Anderson said.
Anderson says growing hybrids are now preferred because they are more resilient.
Improving Early Warnings For Earthquakes
Oklahoma is partnering with an Israeli-based company in an effort to improve early warnings for earthquakes.
SeismicAI, based in Tel Aviv, is working with the Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Geological Survey.
The company provides high-precision early warning systems for both earthquakes and tsunamis.
The technology aims to help officials better understand and prepare for earthquakes by using data from seismic events.
The number of earthquakes in Oklahoma has been on the rise over the last decade. Most have been traced to wastewater disposal from oil and gas drilling.
According to the Oklahoma Geological Survey, the state's rate of magnitude 3 or greater quakes exceeded California’s from 2014 through 2017.
By having early detection technology in place, it’s believed that the state could cut down on potential losses.
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