Public commenters press board over audit; superintendent outlines next steps including policy on Foundation coordination

Several members of the public addressed the Tulsa Public Schools board during the citizen-comment period and urged further action after the district audit. The superintendent outlined district steps taken in response to the audit and said a proposed policy on coordination and reporting with the Foundation for Tulsa Schools will come to the board at its next meeting.

Public commenter Carol Lindley told the board she had reviewed the audit and urged immediate removals of board members she said were implicated. "My request is that the members…who participated in the appearance of money laundering be immediately removed from their positions for apparent violations of their code of ethics," Lindley said, and later asked the board to accept the auditor's assistance to implement recommendations.

Other speakers included an educator who proposed standardizing which semester Oklahoma history is taught across secondary high schools to reduce transfer-credit issues, and a McLean High School teacher who described an example of teacher morale support and urged the board to return certain contracted or built-in days to teachers because of hardship late in the school year.

In her superintendent's report, Dr. Johnson summarized steps the district already has taken in response to the audit and said she will include ongoing updates in future superintendent reports. "At our next board meeting on April, you will see a proposed policy that will outline coordination and communication protocols, financial oversight, and public reporting related to the processes, receipt, of funds and expenditures involving the partnership between the Foundation for Tulsa Schools and Tulsa Public Schools," she said. Johnson also noted purchases and hires tied to audit response, including AI fraud-detection software and a licensed CPA to serve as the district's internal auditor.

Board members thanked departing board member Janette Marshall for her service at the meeting; Marshall also used her remarks to summarize her eight years on the board and to urge continued attention to fiduciary accountability and community engagement. Marshall said the audit has produced recommendations the district is already beginning to implement and offered encouragement to incoming board members to continue reforms.

The board did not take an immediate personnel action during public comment but directed staff to continue audit-response work and to bring the Foundation-coordination policy to the next board meeting for review.