Q and A with Brian Hunt

Why have you chosen to be a candidate for the Board of Education, Tulsa Public Schools?

As a parent, a TPS graduate and native Tulsan, I feel it is my responsibility to be a candidate for one of the most important boards in the City. I hope to bring a business perspective to the board utilizing the practical problem solving. I believe public education is the key to our future and that it is critical we treat parents as customers.

I am a parent that has two children in TPS and a third in pre-school. I have been involved in both PTA’s and am president of the Henry Zarrow International Elementary School Foundation. I understand the details of what it takes for parents to get things done in our schools and believe it is my responsibility as someone who is invested in the system to serve and try to make a difference for all children.

Finally my experience, in addition to commercial real estate, includes a unique background of having a Masters in Regional & City Planning and having worked at the Tulsa Chamber. As someone who loves this City and is raising my family here I understand that strong public schools are critical to Tulsa’s future success and growth.

One of my favorite quotes is, “people do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” I care deeply about education and our City and that is why I am running.

What are the greatest strengths of the school district?

The greatest strengths are the dedicated parents, great teachers and support staff and the school choices that are available.

What are the greatest weaknesses of the school district?

The greatest weaknesses are schools with a history of low performance and the number of students that do not complete high school.

What do you think about teacher pay?

For teachers, Oklahoma needs to improve pay to regional averages. The recruitment of new teachers is extremely competitive, especially when young college graduates are being offered starting salaries of $40,000 in north Dallas suburbs. Combine that with a demographic wave of retirements, and I believe we are looking at a serious shortage of qualified young teachers to hire in the next few years which directly impacts TPS.

What is your plan to improve as well as create a positive image of Tulsa Public Schools?

Fortunately Tulsa schools do have a good perception as compared to other urban school Districts, where young families have limited choices and as a result often move to the suburbs.
From an elementary perspective, I think most parents looking at the Tulsa District for the first time typically feel like they have a lot of good options. The challenge is their perceptions about where to go next in terms of middle and high schools. I think what needs to develop, based on action, is TPS having a reputation for understanding and attacking the tough problems at schools that have a history of low performance.
The hard work over the last ten years at Edison has paid off and their have been numerous parents that have invested a lot of time and energy making that school competitive and viewed as a viable option. We need to build on what has occurred there and make all of schools stronger.

How do you plan to utilize the untapped resources in our community to assist in improving the academic performance of students?

We need to make sure schools have strategic plans that are focused on results. Every school site should be able to “tell their story” of what they need over the next 4 years to improve student achievement in terms of capital improvements, technology, etc. Once they have identified and prioritized those needs, then the business, non-profit and foundation communities will have a clearer understanding of what is required to be successful and might be willing to assist.

What is your position on Charter Schools?

From across the country charter schools have had mixed results but have provided some innovative ideas. TPS already sponsors three charter schools and I believe there is a valid place within the public school system for them, recognizing their role as a laboratory for new ideas that can be shared with all schools regarding what works and what does not. I have toured 2 charter schools because I wanted to see them first hand and the people I met with indicated that in the 2 years they had been at each of their schools no one from the board or service center had ever visited or inquired about lessons learned and or best practices in their deregulated environment.

I do not know all the specifics or motivations of why TPS decided to pursue a lawsuit, but as a business person I believe it is not the most productive use of resources to challenge a law that is being implemented by other Oklahoma school districts, like Oklahoma City.

What is your opinion of No Child Left Behind?

NCLB is a federal law up for reauthorization which Oklahoma complies with. While conceptually it was designed to create high standards and accountability the implementation, as with most laws, has had some unintended consequences which have impacted Edison and Memorial directly. I attended the Edison NCLB meeting last fall and heard the concerns that were expressed. It is my hope that the administration also heard those concerns and this spring they will report back regarding the data they said they were going to collect (numbers, mobility, transfers, capacity, etc.) as well as some of the changes that were recommended. We need to make sure the decision making process is transparent and that all schools get treated fairly.

What changes and/or new initiatives, if any, would you like to see in Tulsa Public Schools?

I think there needs to be a stronger focus on technology, especially related to integrating it into classroom delivery and a web-based system for parents to check on their child’s daily progress. TPS also needs to be more aggressive in modernizing their capital improvements for aging buildings and infrastructure

Candidates for TPS board discuss issues

by: ANDREA EGER World Staff Writer
1/29/2008 12:00 AM

Charter schools and school closures are two topics.

Charter schools, the closing of schools and the job performance of Superintendent Michael Zolkoski were among topics Tulsa school board candidates addressed at a forum Monday night.

The nonpartisan event, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Tulsa and a new organization called wE, was held at All Souls Unitarian Church.

District 5 candidates Radious Guess and Brian Hunt and District 6 incumbent Ruth Ann Fate, who drew no opponents for re-election, will be on the Feb. 5 ballot.

On several occasions, Guess and Hunt were critical of the current school board and administration for not seeking more input from parents.

Guess cited that as one of the district's greatest challenges, saying, "Oftentimes, as family members or parents, we are not getting the information in a timely manner."

Hunt said each school site should develop a strategic plan with input from parents.

"All schools should have a strategic plan -- not a plan that principals turn in to the Education Service Center that's just a checklist and nobody ever looks at it and that parents have no input in," he said.

Regarding charter schools, Guess said she didn't know enough about them to form an opinion, but Hunt said Tulsa's three charter schools should be viewed as "laboratory schools" from which other schools could glean information.

Fate noted that the school board recently sued the Oklahoma Department of Ed ucation to have the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act declared unconstitutional because it applies only to certain school districts.

Regarding the proposed closing of the Bunche Early Childhood Development Center, Guess said that "the only reason to ever close a successful program would be a transition to another successful program."

Fate said Zolkoski had recommended closing the program after learning that "every single student at that school was picked up at their house and dropped off at their house (by a school bus) -- at a tremendous expense to the district."

"That's just not true," Guess responded. "I have one child there now, and I drive every day from midtown, and before (when she had another student in the program), I carpooled with other parents. Every day the parking lot is absolutely full with family members picking up and dropping children off."

As for the performance of Zolkoski, whom the board hired in August 2006, Fate said she thinks he's doing "a great job." She cited "tremendous" new programs such as the Tulsa Learning Academy, a credit-recovery program in the Tulsa Promenade mall, and a boot camp for troubled students.

Guess said she would give Zolkoski a grade of C.

"I have some concerns about some bridges that have perhaps been burned in our community," she said.

Hunt said it is good that Zolkoski has established a strong relationship with Hispanic patrons, but the candidate said he has many other concerns, including how students with one bad mark on their discipline records are being sent to boot camp.