State Board of Education Stops Short Of Ending Tulsa Reports
An Oklahoma State Board of Education member suggested Thursday the board rethink Tulsa Public Schools’ regular reports to the state, voicing intentions to “cut them loose.”
“I would like to make a motion to make next month the last formal, in-person meeting for Tulsa,” said state board member Zach Archer. “I think they have done a great job.”
TPS leaders have been presenting reports to the board ever since State Superintendent Ryan Walters threatened the district's accreditation, leading to the resignation of former district Superintendent Dr. Deborah Gist.
Archer retracted his motion after some pushback. Instead, board member Sarah Lepak made a motion to reassess how the district will present future reports to the state, which passed unanimously.
Walters has changed his tune on TPS, regularly praising the district and Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson. More praise was given to the district at Thursday’s meeting.
“They’ve not only become a model for the state but, in some cases, I think, to the nation,” said board member Donald Burdick. “People are looking at how this urban district is making great improvement for the kids.”
When asked about the meeting, TPS Board President Stacey Woolley responded via written message that she did not watch the Thursday meeting, but nonetheless said the discussions were “audacious and disingenuous.” She said she wants the board to stop requiring TPS to give reports to the state immediately.
“I have repeatedly asked State Superintendent Walters to allow these to come to an end,” she wrote. “Our superintendent cannot afford to be participating in this dog and pony show.”
A spokesperson for TPS provided a statement that read, in part: "Tulsa Public Schools looks forward to further collaboration with the State Department of Education. Our focus remains on improving outcomes for students."
OKC City Council To Consider Airport Name Change
Will Rogers World Airport could soon be getting a new name.
Airport officials announced the new name they're proposing is Will Rogers INTERNATIONAL Airport.
The anticipated name change comes as the airport is set to begin offering international flights in the spring.
The Oklahoma City Council is expected to consider the name change at their next meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 27th.
If approved, the airport says the new name and branding will likely roll out as soon as next month.
FCC Approves Emergency Alert For Missing Indigenous People
A new emergency alert could soon be firing off on your smart phone.
It’s the result of a new FCC effort to help authorities find missing Indigenous people in Oklahoma.
Earlier this summer, many tribal nations in Oklahoma and around the country supported a new Federal Communications Commission alert that could aid in the Missing Murder Indigenous Peoples crisis or MMIP.
The alert's goal: help find missing adults in the U.S. by issuing notifications via cellphones, radios, and TVs.
This month, the FCC unanimously approved the MEP alert, which could be a critical tool for Indian Country, as research from the FBI shows more than 3,000 Native American adults went missing last year.
The FCC alerts are similar to the state’s recently implemented Kasey alerts that went into effect last November.
Experts Hope Research, Goats Encourage Climate-Resilient Farming
How to use goats to purge pastures of woody plants is one of the topics expected to be covered at a Climate Resilient Farming and Living Workshop in Okmulgee this weekend.
Extreme weather has been seen across the state and as the climate changes, the frequency and intensity of these events increase, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
To encourage climate-smart practices among producers, experts from Muscogee Natural Resource Conservation District, the USDA, Langston University Extension and the Oklahoma State University Extension are hosting the workshop in Okmulgee on Saturday.
Andrés Cibils, director of the USDA Southern Plain Climate Hub, said the most interest in the workshop comes from small acreage producers growing specialty crops, running goats or raising cattle.
“You know, we could be thinking that this or that is important, but these meetings help us really gauge what folks are worried about,” Cibils said. “And so that, to me, is super important, being out there and listening.”
Other topics at the workshop include informing farmers of USDA programs and climate-smart horticulture. He said mixed grazing with cattle and goats can also sustainably increase a producer’s income.
Cibils said this is the third talk in a series for farmers and ranchers, and another one is expected in September.
“So the hope is to probably do three or four a year initially, and we'll see where it goes,” Cibils said. “But also the idea is to go to different places. We have an interest of coming to some of the Historical Black Towns, for instance, in Oklahoma, supporting those communities as well with these programs.”
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