Current source roster
Tulsa Tech
Central polytechnic collaboration · Tulsa Public Schools
Announced October2026; implementation forthcoming
No personal ownership, compensation or unilateral authority inferred.
People / Government & civic life
Ebony Johnson
Tulsa Public Schools superintendent
School-system leadership, consolidation decisions and educational partnerships.
Ebony Johnson leads Tulsa Public Schools under its board of education. Her responsibilities include implementing district policy and advancing proposals such as the 2026 consolidation plan. She also serves on the Tulsa Area United Way board.
From district student to district leader
The district’s biography identifies Johnson as a 1994 McLain High School graduate who began teaching at Monroe Middle School in 1999. It records subsequent leadership at Academy Central Elementary, Central Junior High, Central High and McLain High. She became executive director of student and family support services in 2017 and chief academic officer in 2020. TPS reports bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northeastern State University and a doctorate from the University of Oklahoma; graduation dates are not specified. Public Radio Tulsa reported that the board made her permanent superintendent on December 11, 2023, by a 4–2 vote with one abstention. She was the first Black woman to lead the district.
Career & public service
- 1994
District graduate
Graduated from McLain High School, according to TPS.
- 1999
Classroom teaching
Began teaching at Monroe Middle School.
- 2017
Student and family services
Became executive director.
- 2020
Academic administration
Became chief academic officer.
- December 11, 2023
Permanent superintendent
Board approved the appointment after interim service.
- October 2026
Consolidation decisions
Board approved the initial plan and then the Zarrow–Hoover change.
People, institutions and the relationships between them
Following the connections
Each step below represents a documented relationship. Dates and roles belong to the individual links; a path can span different periods.
personEbony Johnson
officeTulsa Public Schools superintendent
school districtTulsa Public Schools
The board retains ultimate policy authority.
personEbony Johnson
officeTulsa Public Schools superintendent
school districtTulsa Public Schools
educationTulsa Tech
Two separately governed districts; Central program remains forthcoming.
personEbony Johnson
nonprofitTulsa Area United Way
A documented director role, not evidence of a particular grant decision.
Documented relationships
8 documented relationships · Historical and current roles remain distinct.
Current source roster
Tulsa Public Schools superintendent
Superintendent
Current official biography; permanent appointment December2023
Exact earlier dates and personal financial interests not inferred.
$370,951 · FY2026 disclosed total compensation, including benefits; not take-home earnings. One-page table; filing date not printed.
Historical record
Tulsa Public Schools superintendent
Permanent appointment
December11,2023 vote
Exact earlier dates and personal financial interests not inferred.
Current source roster
Tulsa Public Schools superintendent
School district executive · Tulsa Public Schools
Current policy
Exact earlier dates and personal financial interests not inferred.
Current source roster
Tulsa Area United Way
United Way director
Current roster; start not established
Exact earlier dates and personal financial interests not inferred.
Current source roster
The Pencil Box
Pencil Box director
Current roster; start not established
Exact earlier dates and personal financial interests not inferred.
Historical record
Northeastern State University
Bachelor’s and master’s degrees
Graduation dates not established
Exact earlier dates and personal financial interests not inferred.
Historical record
University of Oklahoma
Doctorate
Graduation date not established
Exact earlier dates and personal financial interests not inferred.
Consolidation, community objections and a changing plan
On October 19, 2026, the board approved a plan to close or consolidate 17 campuses for 2027–28. The Tulsa Flyer reported a 6–1 vote after substantial community opposition. Johnson’s message to families framed consolidation as a response to enrollment and financial pressures, intended to concentrate educational services. She promised transition support, including enrollment assistance and transportation planning. Those are administrative commitments whose results remain to be assessed. The distinction between recommending and approving is consequential here: Johnson advanced and defended the plan, while the board took the formal action.
What the compensation disclosure reports
The district’s FY2026 superintendent compensation disclosure reports $311,478 in base salary and $370,951 in total compensation, in U.S. dollars. The total includes insurance benefits, $26,980 in retirement benefits and an $18,000 category covering automobile allowance, cell phones or travel stipend. These are the disclosure’s compensation categories, not a statement of take-home earnings or personal wealth. The one-page document carries a 2026 heading but no printed filing date. It was the latest superintendent compensation disclosure linked from the finance page when checked; the separately posted FY2027 preliminary budget does not establish a newer salary figure.
The October 29 change at Hoover
The plan continued to change. The Tulsa Flyer reported that the board approved moving Henry Zarrow International School into Hoover Elementary on October 29. Johnson described the proposal as responding to requests to keep Hoover’s building in use while expanding a sought-after program. Keeping the building open would not preserve automatic attendance there for existing Hoover students: the report said they would be redirected to other schools and would need to apply to remain at that site. Community responses included concern about displacement and trust, alongside relief that the building would remain a school. The relocation is planned for the following school year, not a completed outcome.
Career education with Tulsa Tech
Johnson’s administration also announced an expanded partnership with Tulsa Tech, led by Steve Tiger, to develop Central High as a polytechnic school. The October announcement described pathways linking secondary education with career training and credentials. TPS’s October 30 growth update still treated the Central model as forthcoming. This is cooperation between two public districts with separate governance. It connects Johnson’s school-system leadership to a regional training institution, while leaving implementation, admissions and eventual student outcomes as continuing matters of public accountability.
Nonprofit connections beyond the district
Tulsa Area United Way’s current board roster lists Johnson with her TPS affiliation. The Pencil Box separately lists her on its board and identifies her as superintendent. These roles connect district leadership to a regional charitable organization and a nonprofit providing school supplies. They establish board service, not personal ownership, an entitlement to grants or evidence that either organization directs district policy. The affiliations are useful for understanding where educational and philanthropic institutions meet; any claim about a particular funding decision requires its own transaction-level evidence.
The appointment challenge and its procedural status
Litigation challenged the process surrounding the superintendent transition and alleged Open Meeting Act violations. The original district docket records dismissal with prejudice of the claims against Johnson in her official capacity on June 21, 2024. Its minute explained that the civil remedy at issue ran against the public body. The district later received judgment in its favor, followed by an appeal. The appellate docket checked on November 2, 2026 showed a September 17 assignment to the Court of Civil Appeals and no subsequent merits decision. The dismissal concerning Johnson and the continuing institutional appeal are different procedural events; the allegations should not be presented as findings of personal misconduct.
Interpretation
Where her influence is exercised
Johnson’s strongest documented influence lies in shaping district recommendations and directing their implementation. Consolidation makes that authority visible because it affects access, staffing and neighborhood institutions. The Central partnership and nonprofit board seats place her in additional settings where public education meets workforce planning and philanthropy. These connections explain institutional access; they do not by themselves establish coordination on a particular decision or its benefits. The clearest tests are the board’s recorded actions and the educational and financial results that follow.
Check the record
Sources & corrections
Research checked 2026-11-02. Roles and financial figures retain their source dates. Sections appear only when supported material is available; an omitted section is not a finding that no such relationship exists.
- TPS: expanded Tulsa Tech partnership ↗
Primary institutional record · Source date 2026-10-06 · Checked 2026-11-01
Central High polytechnic partnership announced, proposed pathways and access. Announcement not completed outcomes.
- Tulsa Flyer: Central High polytechnic announcement ↗
Independent reporting · Source date 2026-10-05 · Checked 2026-11-01
Anna Colletto: Tiger/Johnson announcement, application process, cost-sharing and staged launch through2028–29; remaining arts/athletics details.
- TPS: growth strategy ↗
Primary institutional record · Source date 2026-10-30 · Checked 2026-11-01
Latest institutional follow-up still describes Central polytechnic school as slated, not operational; waitlist reported.
- TPS: Superintendent Ebony Johnson ↗
Primary institutional record · Checked 2026-11-02
Named superintendent biography: Monroe Middle teaching start1999; McLain1994; leadership2017/2020; degrees and official portrait.
- TPS Policy1102: Board of Education ↗
Primary institutional record · Checked 2026-11-02
School Board–Superintendent Relationship and School Board–Staff Communication; board retains ultimate policy decisions.
- Public Radio Tulsa: permanent superintendent vote ↗
Independent reporting · Source date 2023-12-12 · Checked 2026-11-02
December11 vote4–2, one abstention; first Black woman. Original contract end not used as current term.
- TPS FY2026 Superintendent Total Compensation ↗
Primary institutional record · Checked 2026-11-02
One-page OSDE-format FY26 disclosure, JOHNSON EBONY row; USD; base311478,total370951,allowance18000,retirement26980. Original visually inspected. No filing date printed. Latest linked on district finance page at check; not take-home pay.
- TPS finance disclosures ↗
Primary institutional record · Checked 2026-11-02
Links FY26 Superintendent Total Compensation; checked for newer disclosure. FY27 preliminary budget is not FY27 compensation.
- TPS: board approval of consolidation recommendation ↗
Primary institutional record · Source date 2026-10-19 · Checked 2026-11-02
Johnson letter:17 school consolidations,2027–28 implementation; stated rationale and transition commitments.
- Tulsa Flyer: board approves closures ↗
Independent reporting · Source date 2026-10-19 · Checked 2026-11-02
Anna Colletto, updatedOctober20:6–1 vote; community objections; original plan subsequently changedOctober29.
- Tulsa Flyer: Zarrow moves to Hoover ↗
Independent reporting · Source date 2026-10-29 · Checked 2026-11-02
UpdatedOctober30:board unanimous among attending members; Zarrow relocation,Hooverstudentsmustapplytostay; communityresponse. No completed relocation claimed.
- Tulsa Area United Way board roster ↗
Primary institutional record · Checked 2026-11-02
Full board:Dr.EbonyJohnson,TulsaPublicSchools; current roster identity matches existing seat.
- The Pencil Box: Who We Are ↗
Primary institutional record · Checked 2026-11-02
Board lists EbonyJohnson,SuperintendentTulsaPublicSchools; organization supplies students. No personal payments inferred.
- Tulsa Flyer: district lawsuit appealed ↗
Independent reporting · Source date 2026-04-16 · Checked 2026-11-02
Challenge to selection process; district summary judgment and appeal. Original dockets checked for later entries.
- OSCN: Tulsa CV-2024-120 ↗
Primary institutional record · Checked 2026-11-02
June21,2024 minute dismisses Johnson official-capacity claims with prejudice; March11,2026 judgment entry; distinguish official/personal and institutional case. Docket informational, official clerk record controls.
- OSCN: appeal SD-123975 ↗
Primary institutional record · Checked 2026-11-02
April13 filing; September1 response; September17,2026 assignment to Court of Civil Appeals latest visible entry at check. No appellate merits disposition visible.