2 board members want Tulsa Public Schools superintendent to resign
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — "She’s not going to resign, I knew that when I called for it. She should, but she’s not," said Dr. Jerry Griffin.
Griffin is realistic about his call for Dr. Deborah Gist to resign. But that doesn't diminish the deep rift now on public display.
"Her most egregious behavior has been her slander against board member Ashley," he said.
Monday night Gist said she was talking about E'Lena Ashley when she described a board member in a Facebook post as someone who, "...has demonstrated publicly that she is blatantly bigoted."
"I’m referring to E’Lena Ashley," said Gist.
That comment encouraged Dr. Jennettie Marshall to throw her support behind the call for a resignation as well, telling News Channel 8, "I support it, I have a problem when the Superintendent refers to someone who is over her, namely a board member, refers to them as a bigot. The statement was out of place. And even if she thought that of board member Ashley that was not the place to air it."
"The board has two options, we can censure her for her actions, which I can’t believe we have to discuss this as a board, that anybody that’s read her Facebook post, even if they’re on her side, can’t believe that wasn’t beyond the pale and she should be censured for it, or we can call for her removal for cause. Or we could buy her off and pay her a couple of million dollars, we could terminate her in 90 days," said Griffin.
"You don’t have the votes right now to do that, correct?" asked News Channel 8.
"I don’t think we want to spend two million dollars to terminate her anyway, that’d be a win for her," said Griffin.
Also weighing in, board member John Croisant who told us “Dr. Griffin does not speak for the rest of the board. My constituents are more interested in hearing how the board will work together to pass the items that were voted down on Monday."
