Priorities - Education

Many people ask me how a mayor can make an impact on public education. I think there are endless ways. We are pioneering many new programs and working in partnership with the schools and with existing programs to make a positive difference in the lives of our kids.

We are focusing on the core needs of early childhood education, community schools, Pre-K to 16 curriculum alignment and drop-out prevention.

First, we are working to prevent our kids from entering gangs. By working in partnership with existing community programs, individuals, businesses and the faith community, we are implementing many of the recommendations that were an outgrowth of the "Building a Safer Tulsa" gang summit that I hosted last fall with U.S. Attorney David O'Meilia. Over 250 participants came together to address the problem head-on and draft pro-active solutions.

Second, we are increasing access to a college education. A college education should no longer be out of the reach of any child in Tulsa County. Thanks to the efforts of our Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and Tulsa Community College, we recently announced the "Tulsa Achieves" scholarship program that will provide tuition-free admission to any Tulsa County graduate that carries a 2.0 grade average. This program is the first of its kind in Oklahoma and is truly transformational. I was very honored to be an active participant- and active dreamer- with Tulsa Regents Jody Parker and Stuart Price, and with TCC President Tom McKeon in planning this great opportunity for our young people.

Third, to leverage all the research that was done as a result of Step up Tulsa, I am co-hosting with Union Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Cathy Burden an education "Call to Action". This working summit will be held on May 15th, and will include area educators, superintendents, mayors, school board members, regents, college presidents and leaders of workforce development. In order for us to meet our real promise we need to take this important step to deliver a well-prepared and educated workforce. This will ensure our kids are ready for the jobs and educational opportunities in this 21st century workforce.

I think there is no limit to what can be accomplished by working in coordination with our schools and the business community. The future of our city is directly a result of the opportunities provided to our children. Together, we can make a positive impact on both.

• Launched Mayor’s Mentoring to the Max!
  • An outgrowth of the “Building a Better Tulsa” Gang Summit;
  • Currently more than 250 mentors; - including 45 firefighters are partnering with schools;
  • Bank of America donation of $40,000 for development projects at five schools in at-risk neighborhoods: Celia Clinton, Boever’s, Hawthorne, Briarglen, and Marshall;
    
  • Bank of America funds have helped in creating 18 new afterschool programs in Tulsa, serving over 450 elementary school students in at risk areas (according to a Children’s Defense Fund study, 90% of African American and 83% of Latino 4th graders do not read at their grade level).
    
  • Organizational partners: Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma, Camp Fire USA, Junior Achievement, Junior League of Tulsa and Resonance, Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, Partners in Education, Tulsa Public Schools and Union Public Schools.
    
• Citgo four-year $500,000 donation to establish the Conecciones program (working to enhance the academic success of Hispanic students) for Hispanic Education and Workforce Development
  
• Supported “Tulsa Achieves” Scholarship and Pathways (Tulsa Technology Center):
  
  • TCC fully covers up to 60 credit hours of tuition during a three-year period for eligible students of public and private schools in Tulsa County;
    
  • 1,500 current recipients.
    
• Emphasized the need to battle high drop-out rates, particularly through gang prevention (one out of four 9th graders do not finish high school)
  
  • Tulsa selected by America’s Promise Alliance (started by Colin Powell and his wife) to host a Drop Out Prevention Leadership Summit over the next two years (Tulsa’s participation to be announced in Washington D.C. on April 1, 2008).
    
  • Manufacturing for Oklahoma’s Vital Economic Success (M.O.V.E.S):
    
• Program for 18 to 24 year old high school drop outs, unemployed or underemployed individuals;
  
• Program allows students to recover school credits and receive first class workforce training that includes work-based learning and job placement. Partnership with Career Tech and Tulsa Technology Center.
  
• Traveled to the State Capitol with a group of 30 students from “at-risk” Tulsa middle schools through the “Youth Leadership Tulsa” program;
  
• John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park—$400,000 from the city for construction- working to secure remaining funding though public and private sources.

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS:

• Presented “Building Strong Partnerships” at the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce Summit in Delhi, India and visited sister city Beihai, China.
  
• Mayor’s Office coordinated aid for the children in bomb shelters with the Jewish Federation during the rocket attacks on sister city Tiberias, Israel
  
• Mayor traveled to the Middle East for a multi-service orientation offered by the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC) on national defense issues.
  
• Tulsa Global Alliance was named Best Sister Cities program in the U.S. in 2006 among cities with population of 300,000 to 500,000.
• Partnered with Union Public Schools, Work Force Oklahoma, Career Tech, Tulsa Technology Center and a local construction consortium to initiate a 12-week Dropout Recovery program to assist students with obtaining on-the-job training while completing high school credits. The training program will assist those interested in pursuing careers in the construction industry.