Commission invited to advise Tulsa Public Schools strategic plan; guest presentations planned

At its October meeting the Greater Tulsa Area Hispanic Latinx Affairs Commission said it received an invitation from Tulsa Public Schools to provide input for the district’s strategic plan.

Commission members said Emily Taylor, identified in the meeting as Tulsa Public Schools’ executive director of strategy and data, offered two ways for the commission to provide feedback: complete a short survey the district will circulate, or host district staff as a guest speaker at a January or February meeting to walk commissioners through roughly five questions the district is using to gather community input.

Separately, commission leadership said a previously scheduled guest speaker, William “Billy” Smith, director of the Helmerich Center for American Research at Gilcrease, could be rescheduled for January or February to present on the museum’s collections and artifacts relevant to Hispanic and Latinx people in Tulsa.

Commission leadership asked members if they were interested in participating in either the survey or an in-person feedback session; members agreed the commission should pursue engagement. Staff said they will work to schedule the district’s presentation and circulate the survey when available.

No formal action or vote on policy was taken; the item was introduced as part of the chair and vice chair report.