Thompson says he's talking with other school districts about positions

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- He may have been edged out for the top administrative post in the Detroit public school system, but Tulsa Superintendent John Thompson said he's considering similar positions in

Wednesday, January 19th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- He may have been edged out for the top administrative post in the Detroit public school system, but Tulsa Superintendent John Thompson said he's considering similar positions in other states. A majority of Detroit school board members voted to choose Thompson to become chief executive officer of the Motor City's troubled school system Tuesday. But a board member appointed by Michigan Gov. John Engler used his veto power to reject Thompson in favor of Atlanta educator J. Jerome Harris.

It was not immediately clear if that meant Thompson was out for good, or if Tuesday night that Thompson had "made commitments to talk with two other school districts." "I will fulfill those commitments as well as consider an anticipated contract proposal from the Tulsa Public Schools board," Thompson said in a statement. He did not elaborate, but there are openings for superintendents in Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and Greensboro, N.C. Thompson is a native of North Carolina.

Tulsa school officials have yet to present Thompson with a preliminary draft of a contract, which has angered some Tulsans, including the NAACP. "They should have offered him a contract in the beginning," said Joyce Rogers, the organization's education chairwoman. "They kept playing around with him." The Detroit school district is among the biggest in the nation, and its new CEO would have considerable say over its $2 billion annual budget.

Thompson came to Tulsa in 1994. He generally has been a popular superintendent, officials said Tuesday. Although criticized by Gov. Frank Keating in 1998 for settling for "mediocrity," it was under Thompson's leadership that Tulsa voters recently approved a $109 million bond issue to replace the $94.5 million in bonds approved in 1996. Eighteen schools were also removed from a "high-challenge" list under Thompson's tenure.