Search for new School Superintendent to Start Soon

Tulsa superintendent Dr. John Thompson was hired by the Pittsburgh, PA school district Wednesday evening. Tulsa's school board hasn't heard from superintendent John

Thursday, February 24th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa superintendent Dr. John Thompson was hired by the Pittsburgh, PA school district Wednesday evening.

Tulsa's school board hasn't heard from superintendent John Thompson since he was named to head Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Schools Wednesday night. However, work is already underway to find a new Tulsa superintendent.

There's been no word from Thompson or Pittsburgh on when he plans to start work there. Thompson said during a news conference that it's time to leave Tulsa. Thompson talked about losing Detroit's top school job, and said his six-year stay in Tulsa is well above average for an urban superintendent. "But we had begun to look around, and that has caused some conflict in my home city of Tulsa,â€ Thompson told reporters. â€œWe felt that now was the best time for us to look at some other options around the nation."

A spokesman for the district said it was business as usual at Tulsa Public Schools, but there was no official response from Thompson on the Pittsburgh decision.

Tulsa school board president Ruth Ann Fate said she'll name a search planning committee as soon as she knows Thompson's plans. "We want to do it as efficiently as possible, but we also want to do it as thoroughly as possible,â€ she said.

Tulsa's classroom teachers say they hope Thompson's successor will collaborate with educators to improve schools. "We want someone who is very teacher centered as well as very student centered,â€ said Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association president Sue Woodward. â€œA person that can take us to a better realm of improved testing ability. Maybe that will breach some of the gap between the public and education employees."

Fate says the board will likely look outside the district for an interim leader. As for the long term, she says she'll look for a person with vision. "A person that looks beyond what's happening today, and has a plan about how to carry that forward,â€ Fate said. â€œWe want to know that they're coming in with an enthusiasm for looking at this as a great possibility."

Fate says there's no way of knowing how long it will take to find Thompson's replacement, but the board is ready to launch its search for change at Tulsa Public
Schools. She says she'll appoint three school board members to a search planning committee within the next couple of days.