Board Member Looks To Close TAC

Tuesday brought more details about what went wrong at a troubled Tulsa alternative school and cast doubt on the program's future.  At least one Tulsa school board member is calling for the Tulsa Academic Center or TAC to shut down.  The News On 6's education reporter Ashli Sims reports school leaders have been blasted for being unprepared and unresponsive to problems.

Superintendent Dr. Michael Zolkoski is proceeding as if TAC will begin its second year, in less than three months.  He's even named a new principal.  The move comes after a new report says there was no training, no tracking, and often no teaching at TAC.

"We acknowledge errors have been made. And, we, as a board, take full responsibility for failures at TAC this past school year," said TPS Board President Gary Percefull.

The Tulsa School Board asked the school district's attorney to find out what went wrong at the Tulsa Academic Center.  A summary of his 34-page investigation says things started to go awry less than two months into the school year.

The report to the school board says on day one there was no handbook or written procedure for TAC, and key support staff members weren't ready.

The investigation found that almost none of the people, who would send students to TAC, like middle and high school principals, disciplinary deans, or the special education coordinator, were trained in how the program worked.

The News On 6 reported in March, that there was a 200 student discrepancy between those enrolled and those who actually attended.

The investigative report reveals there was no plan in place as to what would occur when students simply failed to show up.  Moreover, TAC students would get suspended, but not dropped from the rolls.

Administrators knew membership and attendance records made little sense back in November and December, according to the report.

The report also says in the fall, TAC was using handwritten student schedules which were unorganized and incomprehensible.  It goes on to say TAC staff had no idea which students were at TAC and what they should be taught.

The report says the state testing in February showed just how bad the records problem had become.  The staff didn't know how many 8^th grade students were enrolled, nor how many of them were special education.

Related Story:

06/16/2008  Report Released On TAC Probe