Indian Education Program FAQ

Is the Indian Education program being eliminated?

No.​ We are not eliminating our Indian Education program. We are, however, recommending
changes to our team structure that would – if approved by our Board of Education – improve
our services to Native American students and their families.

How is the Indian Education program funded?

Our Indian Education program is entirely funded by federal and tribal funds. Our four funding
streams are Title VI, Muscogee Creek Nation JOM, Cherokee Nation JOM, and Cherokee Nation
Tag funds. In 2018, we changed the district’s practice of district-wide distribution of Cherokee
Nation Tag funds to ensure direct benefit of our Indian Education Program. We are now one of
only two school districts in the State of Oklahoma that allocates 100% of our Cherokee Tag
funds to serve Native American students through our Indian Education program.

Have you removed the requirement that Indian Education employees be Native American?
No. ​We deeply value strong experience working in Native American cultures and deep
knowledge of Native American cultures, tribes, and histories. However, we do not and cannot
require employees to be Native American to work on any of our teams. The Title VI Indian
education federal grant program assurances require that ​team members be of the best talents
and resources, including persons from the Indian community.​ Additionally, the Civil Rights Act of
1964 prohibits discrimination of all Americans based on race, color, religion, sex, or national
origin.

Did Tulsa Public Schools administrators inappropriately assign Indian Education team
members to serve as substitute teachers?
No. ​As a result of our state’s continued teacher shortage, it is standard practice at Tulsa Public
Schools for district team members who have teacher certifications to cover teacher vacancies
at the start of the school year so that every Tulsa student begins their year with a certified
teacher. Each year, team members from all district teams – including our superintendent –
return to the classroom to fill vacancies for educators who are still finalizing the hiring process.
When team members take these temporary assignments, we ensure that their salary costs for
the assigned days are not paid from federally funded sources.
Are you failing to count Native American children and is that the reason that you’re losing
money?
No.​ We are not failing to count Native American students. District-wide, our enrollment has
been declining for a decade, and these declines include students who have 506 forms,
regardless of race. Our Indian Education and Enrollment teams work to identify Native
American students in a number of ways: during the enrollment process, at school visits, through
phone calls and emails, and during school supply pick-up events and parent/teacher
conferences. This year, our Indian Education team worked with our Data and Analytics office to
identify an additional 2,000 Native American students who have not yet completed 506 forms.
These students and families continue to be a priority for our engagement efforts over the
coming months. We are improving--not lessening--our collection of 506 forms.

Is Tulsa Public Schools circumventing their parent committee requirements with employee
hiring?
No.​ There are no parent committee requirements related to the hiring, firing, and supervising
of employees. The parent committee oversees and provides input regarding the program
services provided through Indian education. We follow all Title VI and JOM regulations related
to parent committees. Our work with those committees includes program services and budget
approvals. While employee salaries are part of the overall Indian Education program budget,
parent committees do not manage personnel issues.

Is the Indian Education program’s proposed reorganization a form of retaliation against

employees who submitted grievances?
No. ​Over the last four years, we have worked to align our district office team structures to best
meet the needs of our school leaders, teachers, and families. While we recently recommended
a reduction in force related to our budget redesign effort, we also proposed changes designed
to improve services to schools. While those proposed changes create general fund cost-savings
in some areas, our focus is on improving services to children. One of the teams identified for
service-related staffing changes is our Indian Education Office. The proposed changes to Indian
Education are not intended to reduce expenses but to enhance supports as we see a reduction
in federal grant funding (Title VI) due to declining students with eligible 506 forms.

Did a Tulsa Public Schools administrator dress in “redface”?

No. ​We are aware of a photo from 2012 being circulated on social media that includes one of
our team members. This photo was taken prior to the team member’s employment with Tulsa
Public Schools and was intended to celebrate the team member’s Native American heritage.
This photo has been shared widely without the employee’s permission and used to attack and
humiliate this team member. The individual involved recognizes that, regardless of the original
intention, the photo lacks cultural sensitivity. She issued a statement that says, in part: “we
meant no disrespect…We do, however, apologize to anyone who might have been offended,
anyone who we might have upset.” This team member has no supervisory responsibilities in the
district, no direct role with Indian Education, and was not involved in any way in the proposed
reorganization of our Indian Education program or in the compensation determination when
the Indian Education manager position was created.

Is Tulsa Public Schools cutting the Indian Education program to redirect funds to fill their state
funding gap?
No. ​The proposed changes to the Indian Education program are intended to improve services to
our students through both expanding models that have proven to be effective and enhancing
the academic support services that we provide to Native American students. All Title VI funds,
JOM funds, and Cherokee Tag funds continue to be dedicated, as they should, solely to our
Indian Education program.

Did Tulsa Public Schools follow federal guidelines in creating the Indian Education program
manager position?
Yes.​ We followed all applicable federal guidelines. The Title VI guidelines require a project
director for the program who is the point of contact for managing resources, administrative
matters, and overseeing finances. These guidelines do not require a specific job title for this
role. Within the organizational structure of Tulsa Public Schools, the title of manager and
director carry equal leadership roles.

Are Indian Education team members losing their jobs?

No.​ In the event that our Board approves the proposed changes to the Indian Education team,
employees with continuing contract rights will be able to move into teaching positions in the
district causing ​NO​ interruption to contract, compensation or benefits. We value our resource
advisors, their knowledge, contributions, and work with our Native American students and
families. We encourage our team members to apply for the new positions within Indian
Education as well as other district roles, pending approval by the Board of Education.