Lunchtime at Clinton West Elementary is like the Hunger Games, the school’s fifth graders say. Students report food poisoning from fish sticks, chocolate milk that’s more like cottage cheese, stale bread, bruised produce and little food left by the final lunch period.
Niki Carpenter-Grauberger, a school staff member, read student letters to the Tulsa Public Schools board Monday night, describing dismal cafeteria conditions at the west Tulsa school. The board collected a folder of letters from Carpenter-Grauberger after the public comment clock ran out.
“The food is terrible. I have been a scholar for three years at Clinton West, and this is by far the worst,” wrote Kinsley, a fifth grader. “Most people in my class don’t eat at all. Again, I am thankful to even get food at all, but I think we need a change.”
“I will be talking about the school lunches for fifth grade: I am grateful, but they are bad,” wrote fellow student Isaac. Sometimes, he said, fifth graders get leftovers or just sun butter and jelly sandwiches. Another student, Charlie, wrote about chunky milk, expired condiments and poor quality food.
“We told our teachers, so they can tell someone on higher ground, and nothing has happened,” wrote another student. “So please try to fix it. Thank you in advance.”
While the board didn’t respond to Gauberger’s address, Superintendent Ebony Johnson paused before a Black History Month statement to process what was shared.
The rest of the meeting revolved around district finances, including approval of mid-year budget revisions and quarterly updates.
The board unanimously approved the district’s amended budget for 2025-2026. It’s a “normal event” for TPS each year, said Interim Chief Financial Officer Dwayne Thompson, when the district adjusts its preliminary budget to reflect changes in the first semester.
TPS added $25 million each to the expected revenues and expenses across all district funds this year, now projecting a final balance of $72 million.
Better staffing drove higher expenses for the district’s general fund. TPS has filled 94% of its positions — the highest it’s been in years, Thompson said. More positions filled means higher costs for salaries and benefits.
TPS reported nearly 50 staff separations Monday night, but “it’s not a number that is not common being a district of our size,” said Johnson.
Thompson also presented the district’s second quarter finances, which are “tracking really well,” even with $16 million less than last year in reimbursements from the federal government.
As of December, spending is down about $9 million compared to the year prior. Even with less federal funding, Thompson said, the district still expects to spend $3 million less from its general fund than in fiscal year 2025.
The board spent an hour and a half in two executive sessions related to ongoing legal action involving the district.
One involved a former district employee, A.V. Avington, Jr., who alleged discrimination and a First Amendment violation after his contract was not renewed by the district. While Avington believed the nonrenewal was due to his identity as a Black employee and public comments he made about a fifth grade student struggling to read, Magistrate Judge Susan Huntsman disagreed. The case was closed Jan. 27.
The other involves TPS board member E’Lena Ashley and former member Jennettie Marshall. The ongoing two-year lawsuit takes aim at Johnson’s hiring process. It argues the district violated state law by discussing topics not listed on the agenda for an Dec. 11, 2023, executive session. Judge Damon Cantrell recently sealed court records including confidential information from that 2023 meeting. Ashley was excluded from participating.
Following executive session, board member Stacey Woolley moved to introduce a resolution related to the ongoing lawsuit at the board’s next meeting set for Feb. 23.
News decisions at the Tulsa Flyer are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
