KIPP TULSA PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS
Minutes
KIPP Tulsa Public Charter Schools - Regular Board Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday August 25, 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; Tiona Bowman, 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
Brian Humphrey, Darnell Blackmon, Dewayne Dickens, Jacob Odom, Jumoke Akingbola, Kim Boyd, Kyara Smith
Directors Absent
Brett Krieg, Michael Epps
Ex Officio Members Present
William Hickman (remote)
Non Voting Members Present
William Hickman (remote)
Guests Present
Donterrio Marzett, Keet Finley, Mayra Burke
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Welcome
C.
Roll Call
D.
Agenda Review
E.
Mission Moment
II. Public Comment
A.
Public Comment
N/A
III. Board Committee Reports
A.
Finance Committee
Jacob Odom spoke on the Finance Committee.
Net Assets 2025=1.9mil
Net Assets 2026=2. mil
B.
Academic Committee
Dewayne Dickens spoke on the beginning of year Academics.
-ORU partnership
-New Data Analyst
-Beginning of year testing- results will be shared at next board meeting
_APM-understanding the levels of student growth
-D Marzett named interim principal
C.
Development Committee
D Marzett spoke on Development
-Janey is working on several grants.
-TAUW blackout August 15th to November 15th
D.
Governance Committee
IV. Consent Agenda
A.
Approve July 28, 2026 Regular Board Meeting Minutes
B.
Approval of the June Financial Reports
C.
Approval of General Fund Purchase Orders
D.
Approval of Activity Fund Purchase Orders
E.
Approval of Building Fund Items
F.
Approval of Gifts Fund Items
V. Action Agenda
A.
Approval of Graduation Requirements Policy
B.
Authorization of Executive Director to Execute Documents Related to the Acquisition and Financing of the Mark Twain School Site
C.
Consideration and Possible Action Regarding Mark Twain Facility Acquisition and Financing
VI. Closing Items
A.
Announcements
Reminder next Board Meeting will take place on September 1st from 12-1:30pm at 541 S 43rd W Ave.
Tiah Pankey spoke on her mission and why she became a teacher at KIPP. She inspired others with the importance of education. She realized that if she could encourage other adults to go back to school, she could encourage students. This is how she became a teacher at KIPP.