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Leaders of the state’s two largest school districts — Oklahoma City and Tulsa — are in a friendly competition to best the other in student enrollment and academics.

Both districts enrolled about 33,000 students last year, with Tulsa larger than Oklahoma City by 652 students. Both districts have new superintendents (and, for the first time, Black women lead the state’s two largest districts simultaneously.)

Ebony Johnson was selected to be interim superintendent of Tulsa in September, then hired permanently in December.

Jamie Polk started as superintendent of Oklahoma City last month.

Polk told attendees of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber’s annual State of the Schools luncheon Wednesday she intends to transform Oklahoma City Public Schools into a model for all urban districts.

She’ll do that by focusing on the six areas used in Oklahoma and nationally to measure school improvement: academic growth, academic achievement, English language learners, chronic absenteeism, graduation rate and post-secondary opportunities.

“Those are the things we must move the needle on, and move it quickly,” she said.

Student enrollment is up compared to this time last year, and the district is 93% staffed, she said. Projects funded by a $950 million school bond approved by voters in 2022 are on track, she said.

Polk described the diversity of the students in the district with a few stats: 40,000 meals served daily, 16,500 bilingual students, 71 languages spoken, 87 Native American tribes represented. “This diversity is our strength,” Polk said.

Questions, comments, story tips? Please reach out via email or direct message.

— Jennifer Palmer

Recommended Reading

• Catholic leaders had requested a stay of the Oklahoma State Supreme Court ruling invalidating their contract for a public charter school. The request was denied Monday in a 7-1 decision. [Tulsa World]
• Controversial rules protecting transgender, gay and lesbian students from discrimination took effect in some states, but remained on hold in the rest of the country, including Oklahoma, amid pending litigation. It’s a mess, one observer said. [The Washington Post]
• National data shows pandemic-era issues continue for schoolchildren, and local leaders say absenteeism and behavior problems are hindering academic growth. [Oklahoma Voice]

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