KIPP TULSA PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS

Minutes

KIPP Tulsa Public Charter Schools - Regular Board Meeting

March 31, 2026

Date and Time

Tuesday March 31, 2026 at 12:00 PM

Location

KIPP Tulsa University Prep High School

541 S. 43rd W. Ave.

Tulsa, OK 74127

Members of the public shall be allowed to submit requests to address the board of directors. To expedite requests to comment, the public may send those requests to the board at kfinley@kippok.org at least 1 hour prior to the start of the meeting. The final determination of whether an item will appear as a public comment will be at the discretion of the board chair. Comments will take place in the order they were received via email, will be limited to three (3) minutes, and must be related to an agenda item or topic. Your comment can be heard when the Board Chairperson acknowledges you. A spokesperson must be selected when several people wish to address the same subject. The Board Chairperson may interrupt and terminate any comments that do not meet these criteria. Board members may not respond directly to speakers’ comments. 

 

Board Members:

Jacob Odom, Dewayne Dickens, Michael Epps, Darnell Blackmon, Brett Krieg, Kim Boyd, Kyara Smith, Jumoke Akingbola 


 

School Representatives:

Donterrio Marzett, Superintendent; Keet Finley, School Operations Support; Mayra Burke, Finance Specialist; Sienna Scott, Director of Teaching and Learning; Janey Nemard, Development Director; Jamia Irons, Principal; Melanie Rathod, Principal; and Bill Hickman, Legal Counsel


 

Access to the board agenda will be posted on the KIPP Tulsa Website: https://www.kipptulsa.org *Click on the KIPP Tulsa drop-down menu, then click on Tulsa Board of Directors, and scroll down to Meeting Dates, Agendas & Minutes of scheduled meetings for the agenda.


 

Official action can be taken only on items that appear on the Agenda. The KIPP Tulsa Board of Directors may adopt, approve, ratify, deny, defer, recommend, amend, strike, or continue any agenda item. When more information is needed to act on an item, the Board or the Chair may refer the matter to the Superintendent or Legal Counsel. The Board may also refer items to staff or committees for additional study. Under certain circumstances, items are deferred to a specific later date or stricken from the agenda entirely.

Directors Present

Brett Krieg, Darnell Blackmon, Dewayne Dickens, Jacob Odom, Jumoke Akingbola, Kim Boyd, Kyara Smith, Michael Epps (remote)

Directors Absent

None

Guests Present

Donterrio Marzett, Janey Nemard, Keet Finley, Mayra Burke, Melanie Rathod, Nonette Surbaugh (remote), Sienna Scott, Tiona Bowman

I. Opening Items

A.

Call the Meeting to Order

Dewayne Dickens called a meeting of the board of directors of KIPP TULSA PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS to order on Tuesday Mar 31, 2026 at 12:14 PM.

B.

Welcome

C.

Roll Call

D.

Agenda Review

E.

Mission Moment

Dr. Dickens gave his Mission Statement on why he began his journey in education.

II. Board Committee Reports

A.

Presentation of FY25 Financial Audit by Bledsoe, Hewett & Gullekson

Eric Bledsoe presented the Financial Audit.

B.

Finance Committee

Presented by Brett K.

  • Cash Breakdown, a little over 2.1 million
  • Revenue is coming in less than expenses
  • No outstanding questions or items that stand out

C.

Academic Committee

Presented by Dewayne D and Sienna S.

  • Assimulations in testing preparations at  both buildings
  • Focusing on priority students
  • Seeing growth week over week with 75% mastery
  • Proposing restructuring for next year.
  • Ms. Walker will be full-time in OKC next year

D.

Development Committee

Presented by Janey N

  • We have raised $904,554.89
  • As of today we have 83 seats to fill for AYSTAK
  •  

 

E.

Governance Committee

Jacob O. stated that he will co-present with Donterrio M.

III. Consent Agenda

A.

Approve March 3, 2026 Special Board Meeting Minutes

Jacob Odom made a motion to approve the minutes from March 3 Special Board Meeting KIPP Tulsa Public Charter Schools - Special Board Meeting on 03-03-26.
Kyara Smith seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

B.

Approval of the February Financial Reports

Jacob Odom made a motion to approve the minutes from February Financial Reports.
Kyara Smith seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

C.

Approval of General Fund Purchase Orders

Jacob Odom made a motion to approve the minutes from General Fund Purchase.
Kyara Smith seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

D.

Approval of Activity Fund Purchase Orders

Jacob Odom made a motion to approve the minutes from Activity Fund Purchase.
Kyara Smith seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

E.

Approval of Building Fund Items

Jacob Odom made a motion to approve the minutes from Building Fund Items.
Kyara Smith seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

F.

Routine Staffing Items

Jacob Odom made a motion to approve the minutes from Routine Staffing Items.
Kyara Smith seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

IV. Action Agenda

A.

Approval of FY26 Audit Engagement with Bledsoe, Hewett & Gullekson

Jumoke Akingbola made a motion to approve the minutes from FY26 Audit Engagement with Bledsoe.
Kim Boyd seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

V. Closing Items

A.

Announcements

B.

Adjourn Meeting

There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 1:28 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Keet Finley
Brett Krieg made a motion to approve the minutes to adjourn meeting.
Kyara Smith seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.