NAACP Says Tulsa School Board Slow on Thompsonâ€™s Contract Because of Racial Bias

Dr. John Thompson, superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools during a recent interview with the News on Six. (KOTV On-Line)<br><br><br>Tulsa's chapter of the N-A-A-C-P charged the Tulsa School Board

Wednesday, January 19th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Dr. John Thompson, superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools during a recent interview with the News on Six. (KOTV On-Line)

Tulsa's chapter of the N-A-A-C-P charged the Tulsa School Board Wednesday with forcing school superintendent John Thompson to look for another job. The group says racism is behind the board's failure to offer Thompson a contract that would keep him in Tulsa. The charges came a day after one vote on the Detroit School Board ended Thompson's bid to become the new superintendent there.

At a news conference Wednesday, the N-A-A-C-P said Thompson wouldn't be interviewing with other districts if Tulsa offered him the contract they say he deserves.
N-A-A-C-P chapter president Ruford Henderson charged Tulsa's School Board with deliberately dragging its feet on Thompson's contract. Henderson said the board is controlled by the Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, Governor Frank Keating and what Henderson called the pro-white conservative media. "In this case, we feel that the failure of the Tulsa School Board to negotiate a contract with Dr. Thompson is based on racial and social economic disparities," Henderson said. Thompson's contract with Tulsa Public Schools expires in June.

The N-A-A-C-P says it's urged the board for months to offer Thompson a deal that would keep him here. "I say the board played games,â€ Henderson said. â€œThey thought Dr. Thompson would get this job out of town. Then they (the school board) could say he left on his own and we didn't run him out of town."

School board president Ruth Ann Fate says the board has been talking with Thompson since last fall, and expects to offer him a new contract. "I think that's a terribly wrong accusation," Fate said. "We have worked well with Dr. Thompson. In fact, if they had bothered to talk with Dr. Thompson, they would find he recently said that this was the best board he's ever worked with."

Henderson said he's not spoken with Thompson personally about the N-A-A-C-P's charges against the board. But he believes Thompson wants to stay. â€œWhatever he's done as far as looking for a job, it's not because he wanted to,â€ Henderson explained. â€œIt's because the board forced him to.â€ Fate says that there has never been a break in negotiations between Thompson and the board. â€œWe've negotiated - both he and the board - in good faith, in hope of what we can accomplish here," she said. Fate said the board hasn't set a date for its next meeting with the superintendent.

Thompson's office told the News on Six he was out of the office and as of Wednesday had not seen the N-A-A-C-P statement.