Tulsa Public Schools overhauls special education after noncompliance

Tulsa Public Schools officials revealed Tuesday the district is under review for failing to meet multiple special education standards.

A presentation during the May 21 Board of Education meeting outlined the scope of the problem and what district leaders plan to do about it. Assistant Superintendent of Special Populations Dr. Gena Koster and Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson say they are launching a complete redesign of special education services.

A troubling track record

Tulsa Public Schools served 4,368 students with disabilities during the 2024-2025 school year. But despite the scale of need, the district has failed to meet required benchmarks for several previous school years.

TPS was rated at level 3 ("needs intervention") two years ago and fell to level 4 last year — a designation for districts “in need of substantial intervention.” The state and federal governments require 100% compliance in key areas like timely evaluations and early childhood transitions. TPS has missed those marks.

"Overall, TPS is not in compliance with the requirement for students with disabilities to receive the majority of their spend services in general ed. That is a requirement at 80%. Our TPS rate was 64% and the state target is 75%," said Dr. Koster.

A new vision for special education

Tulsa Public Schools is rolling out a redesigned structure that includes position changes and more defined instructional supports.

That includes a Special Education Partners coordinator, a Supervisor of Instructional Services, a Supervisor of Centralized Programs, program coordinators, and specially designed instructional coordinators. TPS is also adding compliance and evaluation positions.

"The growth of our TPS students with special needs depends on a complete redesign of our priorities and a commitment to this work. We need a change, and that's what we're going to do," said Dr. Koster.

Corrective action plan

TPS is launching a comprehensive plan to fix the problems and comply with federal requirements. Among the key initiatives:

1. Redesign the leadership team and support structure
2. Develop a communication plan to rebrand the department
3. Contract a national firm for program evaluation
4. Redefine the referral, evaluation, and IEP process
5. Train campus teams on new procedures
6. Establish operational programming with quality controls
7. Provide evidence-based curriculum and materials
8. Build a support framework for campuses and staff

"We've had what I would describe as a pretty narrow scope for a delivery of our services for students, so we are expanding and broadening that so our students get the level of services they need. We are moving forward with that for next year," said Dr. Koster.

Facing the past, focusing on the future

Much of the noncompliance occurred under former Superintendent Dr. Deborah Gist, according to Board Vice President Calvin Moniz.

"I left the meeting deeply troubled after learning that TPS has been out of compliance with special education standards for over five years,” said Moniz. “Our reporting to the Oklahoma State Department of Education has been untimely, and we are now under formal review for significant racial and ethnic disparities in long-term suspensions and expulsions of students with IEPs. This was the first time the Board was fully briefed on these issues.”

Moniz emphasized the work being done by current leaders to correct course.

"I am grateful to Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson and Dr. Koster for addressing these longstanding problems head-on. They are working to correct the mistakes of their predecessors with transparency and urgency."

Commitment to equity and excellence

TPS has committed to several key goals moving forward:

1. Meet all deadlines for referrals, evaluations, and IEPs
2. Eliminate inequities in identification and services
3. Close achievement gaps for students with disabilities
4. Become a collaborative partner on every campus
5. Be the district of choice for students needing specialized services

Superintendent Johnson called the work urgent and essential.

"I just want to say thank you to Dr. Koster and also to Chief Learning Officer Erin Armstrong for the level of leadership and collaboration in this work,” said Dr. Johnson. “We are very appreciative of Dr. Koster's strategic thinking around special education, the amount of effort she and her leadership team are working to getting us to a point where we can have sustained increases and sustained proficiencies around students with special education needs."

Fixing the data behind the dollars

One key area being addressed is the child count process, which is how the district identifies and funds students with disabilities. Dr. Koster reports that clerical issues in prior years led to inaccurate reporting, affecting resources and support. TPS leaders say this will be corrected moving forward.

"I think it's critical that we partner with our state department of education and develop the relationship there as we have begun to do this year," said Dr. Koster. "There are resources for us there, we just have to connect."