Executive Director Report - August 2025

Motion and vote on recommendations.

• PO 2026-11-1 through 2026-11-129 and 2026-11-5000 through 2026-11-50023

• PO 2026-60-1 through 2026-60-20

PO 2025-21-1 through 2025-21-17

• PO 2026-81-1 through 2026-81-3

This item seeks board approval for a transfer of funds between accounts within the Activity Fund to support student programming and ensure proper alignment with intended use. The proposed transfer is within board-approved purposes and complies with state regulations governing school activity funds.

Approve Routine Staffing Items 

Approve the sanctioning of booster clubs and parent/teacher associations. Sanctioned status provides organizations exemption from the statutory controls relating to school activity funds found in the Oklahoma School Code.

Booster Clubs:

• KIPP Tulsa Band Parent Organization

PTAs/PTOs

• KTCP PTA
• KTUP PTO

In accordance with Oklahoma Statutes and the provisions of House Bill 1087, school districts are required to structure their academic calendars to meet the minimum instructional requirements established by the State of Oklahoma. HB 1087 provides adjustments to the calculation of instructional days and hours, requiring school districts to ensure that their calendars reflect compliance with the following provisions:

• A minimum of 166 instructional days (or the state-approved equivalent in instructional hours);
• Proper accounting for professional development days as set forth in law;
• Alignment with state-mandated holidays and testing windows;
• Assurance that the academic calendar supports both compliance and the district’s educational goals.

The proposed adjustments to the 2025–2026 KIPP Tulsa Public Charter Schools calendar incorporate these statutory requirements while also balancing student learning needs, professional development for staff, and family engagement. These adjustments were developed in consultation with school leadership and reviewed for compliance with Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) guidance.

Each year, KIPP Tulsa Public Charter Schools is required under 70 O.S. § 5-134 to prepare and adopt an Estimate of Needs for the upcoming fiscal year. This document outlines the anticipated expenditures and revenues of the district and serves as the legal basis for appropriations that support the district’s operations.

Approval by the Board of Directors is necessary before the Estimate of Needs can be filed with the Tulsa County Excise Board, which has statutory authority to review, adjust, and approve the district’s final appropriations and tax levies.

Placing this item on the agenda ensures compliance with the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act, provides transparency to the public regarding district financial planning, and secures the legal foundation for the district’s budget for the coming year.

Booster clubs and parent organizations play an important role in supporting students and schools by raising funds, organizing events, and providing volunteer assistance. However, because these groups operate in connection with the district, it is essential that their activities align with district policies, financial best practices, and state law.

Adopting a board policy to formally sanction booster clubs and parent organizations establishes clear expectations for governance, financial accountability, and use of the school’s name, logo, and resources. The policy provides guidelines for recognition of such groups, including requirements for bylaws, financial reporting, and compliance with IRS regulations.

This action protects both the district and parent-led groups by ensuring transparency, preventing misuse of funds, and safeguarding the district’s reputation. It also provides consistency in how booster clubs and parent organizations are supported, monitored, and recognized across all schools in the district.

Approval of this policy demonstrates the Board’s commitment to fostering strong school-community partnerships while ensuring legal and fiscal responsibility.

Oklahoma Senate Bill 942 (2025) requires all public schools and higher education institutions to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism and incorporate it into institutional codes of conduct. The legislation also requires schools to designate a Title VI Coordinator to review, monitor, and investigate complaints of discrimination and to report unresolved cases to federal authorities when appropriate.

In addition to meeting these legal requirements, this proposed policy goes further by explicitly addressing anti-Blackness and embedding an anti-racist framework into school culture and operations. This expansion reflects our district’s commitment to ensuring equitable treatment and inclusive environments for all students and staff.

Key components of the policy include:

• Adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
• Integration of anti-discrimination provisions, including antisemitism, anti-Blackness, and racism, into the Student Code of Conduct and Employee Handbook.
• Designation of a Title VI Coordinator to oversee investigations and compliance.
• Establishment of confidential reporting mechanisms for students, staff, and families.
• Implementation of mandatory training for staff and awareness programming for students on antisemitism, anti-Blackness, and anti-racist practices.
• Commitment to ongoing policy review and equity audits to monitor effectiveness and ensure continuous improvement.

By adopting this policy, the board ensures compliance with state law while also demonstrating proactive leadership in advancing equity, safety, and respect within our schools.

House Bill 2047, known as the Emerson Kate Cole Act, was passed in 2025 to improve school protocols in responding to severe allergic reactions and other medical emergencies involving asthma, anaphylaxis, or cystic fibrosis. The law requires that Oklahoma schools permit students with appropriate parent and physician authorization to self-administer prescribed medication, and it authorizes trained staff to administer life-saving medication, such as epinephrine and inhalers, in good faith during emergencies.

Key requirements of HB 2047 that are addressed in the proposed policy include:

• Student Self-Administration: Allowing students with documented conditions to carry and self-administer prescribed inhalers, epinephrine injectors, or enzymes with proper physician and parent authorization, renewed annually.
• Stocked Emergency Medication: Ensuring that schools maintain a minimum supply of epinephrine injectors and inhalers with spacers for emergency use.
• Trained Staff Response: Authorizing designated, trained employees to administer emergency medication without a standing provider order when a student is in distress.
• Emergency Protocols: Requiring immediate calls to 911 and parent notification whenever anaphylaxis or respiratory distress is suspected and/or emergency medication is used.
• Annual Staff Training: Mandating food allergy awareness and anaphylaxis training for all staff who work with students, with documentation maintained in personnel records.
• Liability Protection: Providing good faith liability protection for staff, schools, and prescribing physicians in accordance with the law.

This policy ensures compliance with state law while also prioritizing the health, safety, and well-being of students. Adopting it demonstrates the district’s proactive commitment to protecting children with life-threatening allergies and other medical conditions, while equipping staff with the training and confidence needed to respond effectively during emergencies.

Pursuant to the Oklahoma Nonprofit Corporation Act and in accordance with best practices for charter school board governance, the Board of Directors of KIPP Tulsa Public Charter Schools may amend its bylaws to strengthen leadership succession and ensure continuity of institutional knowledge.

Currently, Article IV, Section 4.1 of the bylaws establishes the officers of the Board as: Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, and such other officers, if any, as the Board of Directors may from time to time appoint.

The proposed amendment would add the office of Past Chair to Section 4.1 and define this role in a new Section 4.8. The Past Chair provides continuity of leadership, offers counsel to the Chair and Vice-Chair, and supports long-term strategic priorities by sharing organizational knowledge.

This amendment ensures smoother transitions in leadership and aligns with governance practices that value succession planning, institutional stability, and board development.

Proposed Bylaw Amendment

Section 4.1. Number.
The Officers of the Board of Directors shall be Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Past Chair, and such other officers, if any, as the Board of Directors may from time to time appoint.

Section 4.8. Past Chair.
The Past Chair shall be the immediate former Chairperson of the Board of Directors. The Past Chair serves in an advisory capacity to the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and the Board, ensuring continuity of leadership and preserving institutional knowledge. The Past Chair may be assigned specific duties or responsibilities by the Chairperson or the Board, including mentoring new board members, supporting succession planning, and assisting with strategic initiatives. The Past Chair shall serve a two-year term, provided that the individual continues as a member of the Board of Directors.

Discussion and possible action to elect officers of the KIPP Tulsa Board of Directors for the following positions, in accordance with the organization's bylaws:

1. Vice-President
2. Past Chair

Action Item(s):

• Consideration and possible action to elect a Vice-President of the Board.
• Consideration and possible action to elect a Past Chair of the Board.