Tulsa board approves three-year charter renewals for KIPP Tulsa middle and high schools

The Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education voted to approve three-year charter contract renewals for KIPP Tulsa College Preparatory (grades 6—) and KIPP Tulsa University Preparatory (grades 9—2), extending both contracts from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.

Vice President Calvin Moniz introduced the items after a district staff presentation that summarized KIPP Tulsa's recent performance under the district—harter school performance framework. Sean Bergstresser, chief strategy officer for Tulsa Public Schools, told the board the district uses three domains (academic, financial and organizational) to rate charter schools and that both KIPP campuses carried a Tier 2 summary rating in recent years. He said KIPP College Prep serves about 359 students, roughly 91% of whom are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch; KIPP University Prep serves about 236 students and reports approximately 21% of students identified with disabilities.

"A three-year renewal term gives KIPP's new leadership team sufficient time to really act on results and show evidence of progress over a few years of time," Bergstresser said, explaining staff's rationale for recommending three-year renewals.

Dontario Marzette, superintendent of KIPP Tulsa Public Charter Schools, described leadership changes the network made beginning in August 2023 and said KIPP had reduced prior accreditation deficiencies by about 60% since that time. "We stepped into the gap, we steadied the ship, and today, we are stronger for it," Marzette said, adding the organization recently completed a strategic plan focused on data-driven instruction, teacher retention and sustainable growth.

Ciana Scott, KIPP Tulsa's chief academic officer, outlined targeted instructional changes to address learning gaps, including multi-tiered systems of support, weekly academic progress monitoring and partnerships such as City Year and Genesis Works. "We measure what matters, and we act on what we learn," Scott said.

A KIPP senior, Zirin Shaw, and a parent, Toya Forbes, both spoke in support of the schools. Shaw described internship and dual-credit opportunities and said, "KIPP isn't perfect, but it's something special." Forbes praised the internship partnerships and said her son earned a CNA credential while enrolled at KIPP.

Board discussion was largely supportive. Board Member Ashley asked about the number of "master teachers" on staff; KIPP leaders said they did not have an exact count available in the meeting but described an evaluation cycle aimed at tracking teacher progress toward mastery. Several board members praised KIPP's transparency and the district team's site visit and data review.

Motions and votes

- G1: "Approve the renewal of the charter school contract with KIPP Tulsa College Preparatory, Incorporated for a three-year term (07/01/20266/30/2029)." Motion: Board Member Crossant. Second: Board Member Wooley. Vote recorded as "aye" by the board members present; motion passed.

- G2: "Approve the renewal of the charter school contract with KIPP Tulsa University Preparatory, doing business as KIPP Tulsa Inc., for a three-year term (07/01/20266/30/2029)." Motion: Board Member Crossant. Second: Board Member Smith. Vote recorded as "aye" by the board members present; motion passed.

The board took no formal conditions on either renewal during the meeting. The district noted that the 2024-25 performance reports remained preliminary pending final state data for some measures.

Why it matters

Charter renewals shape which operators the district authorizes to serve students and for what term. The board's decision gives KIPP Tulsa multiyear certainty to continue operations and to proceed with the network's instructional and staffing changes intended to address academic gaps at the high school and sustain strengths at the middle school.

What the record shows next

District staff recommended three-year terms based on Tier 2 performance ratings, improved financial and organizational metrics during the current charter term, and KIPP's stated plans to address high school proficiency declines. The district and KIPP leaders said final 2024-25 framework results were still preliminary in the meeting pending a few state-provided measures.