‘I am going to do my job'
‘I am going to do my job'

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By Wendy K. Kleinman
Published: January 6, 2008

Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent John Porter won't be leaving the district anytime soon if he has his way, despite the fact that the school board is expected to discuss whether to suspend or fire him at a Monday morning meeting.

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In a letter provided exclusively to The Oklahoman on Saturday, Porter defended himself against accusations brought by School Board Chairman Cliff Hudson and affirmed his intention to stay and improve schools.

"A few months ago the school board chairman asked me to resign,” Porter says in the letter. "I told him, ‘No!' I am here to serve the children of Oklahoma City and I am going to do my job.”

But Hudson said Porter's letter doesn't include the context of that conversation.

"A couple months ago, after receiving a set of very harsh comments from principals which John and I reviewed together at the same time, I did have a private discussion with him as to whether he wanted to think about resigning from his position sooner or later, with no timeline put on it. And he is accurate, he declined,” Hudson said.

Hudson, who spoke to The Oklahoman from a Houston airport Saturday, said he does not have the authority to demand a superintendent's resignation.

Previously, the Oklahoma City School District hired former U.S. attorney Robert McCampbell to investigate allegations of "inappropriate behavior” by Porter.

Hudson said Porter has refused to discuss the investigation's results with the board since before Christmas. Porter said in his letter that he first received a copy of the investigation Thursday.

Porter's letter was sent to The Oklahoman by Terry Abbott, whom Porter has retained for his media relations expertise. Abbott is a former press secretary for the U.S. Department of Education and is the current press secretary for the Houston Independent School District.

What are the accusations?
Porter addressed two main allegations in his letter, both of which he said are false.

One is that he circumvented the bidding process to buy Wireless Generation, a computer program to help children learn to read.

He wrote, "I understood that we followed the very same selection process used by the Oklahoma State Department of Education,” which he said has approved the use of the program.

Porter also addressed allegations that he sought reimbursement for questionable travel expenses, although the letter did not specify which expenses have been scrutinized.

"I can state strongly and without equivocation that I had no intention of seeking any improper reimbursement for any expenditure,” Porter said in the letter. "It's wrong and I simply would not do it.”

Hudson told The Oklahoman he would prefer to discuss issues privately with Porter.

Hudson said, however, that financial integrity and accountability are important to the board, especially because the district did not have clean books from the 1990s through the early part of this decade.

Hudson also said the investigation deals with more than finances. He would not elaborate on other concerns.

"I am hoping and expecting that John will be there at 8 o'clock Monday morning. The communication that he's having with you, with the newspaper now, is the type of communication we asked for him to have with the board two to three weeks ago, and he has yet to do so,” Hudson said.

What else did Porter say?
In the letter, Porter maintains that Hudson has tried to sabotage his leadership but states that they still have to work together to improve students' academic performance.

Change will be the key, he said.

"The board chairman has engaged in an effort to undermine my leadership and to make it very difficult to do the job I came here to do for our kids. The board chairman's comments to me have been belittling, disrespectful and very, very hurtful and disappointing,” Porter wrote.

Tension between executives and oversight boards is natural, Hudson said.

"I'm not surprised that he (Porter) would consider the board's review of this as being a problem for him, but the board is doing its job,” he said.

Still, Porter's letter continues: "I hope that the board chairman and I can put this behind us and get on with the business at hand. I have a great deal of respect for him: he has done a lot for the Oklahoma City Public Schools, giving his time and energy to help children.

"Working together, we can get this job done.”

Hudson said they are not at a point where things can simply be put behind them.

"I think that the first thing that has to happen is John needs to sit down with the board and talk through the concerns that have been raised with him, and really until that happens, there's no second step to go to,” he said.

What's next?
Porter will hold a news conference today after returning to Oklahoma from vacation, Abbott said. As of Saturday evening, a time and place had not been set.

The school board will meet at 8 a.m. Monday at the school district's administration building, 900 N Klein.


 

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The final solution is plain to see.
Because of the mistakes by the school board; and the mistakes by the superintendent, he will pay the money back for unallowed expenditures. Worked out his contract; and not expect to be hired the next school year.

If the Oklahoma City school board hire a superintendent outside of Oklahoma, they should add one month to his contract for familiarizing himself with Oklahoma school law. You don't need any excuses, they are not lawful anyway.
CP.Boley
credell, boley - Jan 10, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I'm a 4th grade teacher for OKCPS and for the first time ever, I've seen Dr. Porter visit my classroom. He visited our school twice. Not because our school was in trouble, not because our school was about to be in the newspaper, not because our school was going to have a bad story published, BUT, because he wanted to invest in our students' lives. How many superintendents do you know that have visited every school in the OKCPS area just to try to get to know the community? He's the perfect man for our district and I support him 100%. He sold me at the convocation when during the middle of a poem about a young boy who couldn't read, got choked up and had to pause to gather himself. He's about the kids, and that is what every person in the district should be about......... THE STUDENTS!!!!! He loves the book "212", entitled that to turn up the heat. He's turning up the heat (raising expectations for schools, principals, teachers, board members, board employees, etc.) and it seems as if the district would rather just sit and continue to fail. I grew up in this same district and I applaud his efforts. GREAT JOB DR. PORTER! I'll continue to pray for you and be by your side while Mr. Hudson attacks. I can't speak for every other teacher in the district, but as for me, I support you 100%.
4th grade, MWC - Jan 6, 2008 at 3:55 pm
This whole situation is a matter of ego's-Cliff Hudson's in particular. He is content with running the show when John Porter is the one who was hired to do so. It has been decades since OKC has had a superintendent who actually cares about children and education. The district is in dire need of transformation and Porter seems like he is the man to do it. It would be flat out foolish of the Board to fire Porter over pettiness when he is trying to turn this district around. Hudson needs to get the chip off his shoulder and let Porter do his job. If Hudson wants to be the Superintendent, then he should put in his resume' for the job!
Danielle, Oklahoma City - Jan 6, 2008 at 3:18 pm
I mean your post.
Margaret, Holdenville - Jan 6, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Thank you for you post, T Scott.
Margaret, Holdenville - Jan 6, 2008 at 12:53 pm
OKC schools are as terrible as the parents of the kids that attend them. My son goes to an excellent OKC public school by choice. We can afford to send him to any school in town but choose Wilson because the parents and staff want and work to make it an excellent school. I wonder when the last time WeNdE was in a school.
T Scott, Oklahoma City - Jan 6, 2008 at 12:29 pm
I don't know who coined the phrase,"Our children are our future" but I think Oklahoma needs to rethink their priorities in their Education Department. I was raised in the Oklahoma Education System and I enjoyed learning all the way to graduation from the University of Oklahoma. I have a grandbaby in the school system now and I am concerned that these disruptions in the process and the squabbles could hinder her education in the end... Take a look at who is bringing the people to task, see what kind of education they have, where they come from. Sometimes, plain old jealousy is the problem.
Candace, Lakeland - Jan 6, 2008 at 11:13 am
Oklahoma City Public Schools are TERRIBLE and I don't see them getting any better any time soon! This is ashame!
WeNdE, OkLaHoMa CiTy - Jan 6, 2008 at 11:04 am

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