teacher

building supervisor

cook

senior cook

school counselor

Tulsa Public Schools

I would say the vast majority of teachers within this school system have no faith in the ability of their employer to have the best interest of their teachers in mind - which would bode well for the teachers to have the best interest of their students in mind.  The result?  It's a sinking ship.  The support system for teachers is rife with problems and has grown worse over the years I've been here.  Veteran teachers know that the Program of the Month is just around the corner, will be declared as the Savior of Education, take no more of your time in the classroom, and * poof * be gone without fanfare only to be replaced - or added - by yet another program and then IT will be declared as the next best thing to sliced bread.  The result?  ZERO faith in the effectiveness of the system to address the real needs of both teachers and students.  It was typical when I first started teaching, to see teachers burn out in oh...7 to 10 years?   Now I see entry level teachers quitting either before the year is even up or leaving for greener pastures the next.   The demands placed on teachers here is just too high.  Time is the commodity of this age and if one lets the district do so?   They will eat all of it up with the requirements they demand and the extra duties they ask for outside your normal work hours.  Something has to give here and I teachers are leaving this district in DROVES.

A plus is they're willing to train and company transport with agreeable co-workers a negative is fast past environment, 80% of the crew leaders only look out for themselves unless you're a very hard worker that makes them look good upon reviews having said that while you're working hard about to fall from fatigue the crew leader is enjoying himself in the shade or company vehicle with the A/C going and it's not like you can complain because if you do two things might happen one is the manager doesn't care because they've been their longer and just want results no matter how they get them or two you get worked harder or sent to another crew to work harder and then after you work to the bone all day when it's time to clock out they fire you after all they're all about the results and not about their employees at all. I understand that this type of job is demanding and stressful and fatiguing and you need strong willpower to be able to do this job but after they took away all incentive programs and EOM challenges to fuel their greed this is honestly not a worthwhile job it'll break your body down and cause you to age rapidly before your time.

The poorest organized school I have ever worked for.  The administration provides little support.  They will move the teachers around where they see fit, even if you are hired for a certain grade level.  There is usually only a week advance notice for parents of all special events which makes it difficult to plan.  The school does not ever open on the weekends, so if you are a first year teacher, you will have to work late every night since weekend the school is unavailable.  Tulsa Public Schools is the worst school district I have ever worked for and the lowest pay hands down.  I have to have 2 jobs to make ends meet.  I have a lot of years of experience in other states and outside of the United States, and Tulsa Public Schools did not recognize my years of experience in many of these places without doing extensive ‘extra paperwork’…and with the overloaded classroom sizes, low level of support and exhaustion from working overtime consistently, who has time for that?  I have no desire to work for TPS in the future.  If you can’t inspire your staff then you are not the leader needed for your school…and our students and teachers need to be inspired.  

There are some amazing people within TPS but they are not in management roles. There are some good benefits but the pay is not sufficient for the excessive hours expected to be worked. They claim to have purpose but to really succeed you have to be willing to work nonstop with no purpose and not push back or question when something is wrong. They are big on placing blame and finding fault rather than focusing on solutions to problems. Overall, there is push for numbers and pleasing those at the top more than taking care of the hardworking team members or actually affecting the families that they are supposed to be serving in the community. They are not diverse at all. You get good benefits but feel like you can almost never use them or take the time off needed. There are also no clear processes or forms of communication. They keep so many hands in one pot at all times. There is no training and if it were not for my peers who supported my start, I would have failed miserably from the start.

I love my job that gives me chance to watch students learn and are engaged in learning and share enjoyment with siblings,parents,and teachers

Our school spends time on displaying students work and displays what children learn and displays what is in the classroom
The main things Ive learned is how important positive control and discipline is portraye by a a calm,quiet voice.
The biggest enjoyment is watching the students being engaged
Being a special part in these young childrens life
The workers that sponsor our school are very professional and do special activities that enhance learning
One that stands out in my mind is Career Day

Our preschool are in an elementary school where pre school and Kindergarten are seperate
There are some schools Ive been active in pre school is 2-5 year old
We were proud of our school and provided many activities.
My job was a preschool teacher and I worked in a small elementary school,Springdale Elementary which was Grades Pre-K through Grade 6
Watching the students engaging in learning is so rewarding
Sometimes there were not as many rooms but we were flexible.Classroom management is extremely important for me.

I spent 4 years at TRAICE Academy, after fulfilling my teacher residency at Central High School.  I was  given  some training and development for the behavioral  issues we would  face and other  training such as Boys Town  and Big Picture model. These were integrated into our program for the students  who were sent to the alternative school for in school suspension, due to a wide range of behavioral, mental, physical  and  emotional outbursts; as well as truancy and other issues they  could not deal with appropriately  in the traditional school environments they came from. The  position was challenging and  fulfilling too  when asked to work with both middle school and high school students  over the course of my week. Moving and setting up a complete computer lab three times in 5 years, as well as  developing extensive planning, organizing and teaching  creative  lessons for special needs students also gave me insight to where I would like to focus and move into other  areas and  grow as a teacher.

I would not recommend TPS to anyone due to its poor leadership. Period. They say they listen to their teachers, but it's all for the optics. They do not value teacher feedback, and the Board has consistently proven it does whatever it wants. Their handling of the pandemic and school re-openings was a complete MESS and led teachers to feel as though they were working two jobs simultaneously. The workplace culture at many schools is toxic, and there is very little work-life balance.

Both at the district-level and at the school-level, leaders often cave to the whims and demands of parents over their own hardworking and underpaid teachers. There is a serious lack of accountability for principals and those in district management, and teachers are discouraged to the point that many are leaving in favor of friendlier, more well-run suburban districts or are leaving the profession altogether.

Driving to pick up and or drop off kids at their school or drop off locations was fun with the radio on.  Seeing a large group of middle school kids sing inside the bus in unison was entertaining.  The management very relaxed and down to earth vibe.  Kids will try to test your patience however, it can also be an opportunity to re develop and fine tune your longevity with being patient with other peoples kids who may try to undermine you. However, you can also find some way of leveraging your control of the bus by turning off the radio and keeping everyone in check and or just being simply happy and creating a positive environment.  When kids start saying "We have that cool bus driver today" feels great that they appreciate you and being a radio DJ/Bus Driver.  I made it for everyone and makes me feel great and enjoy my job there too.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Overtime is good but working 14-16 hour days is horrible. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Under staffed
Under paid 
Over worked 
Too much short notice  scheduling 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very Clickish, not much trailing and you’re expected to just know all the ins & outs of the setting. 


What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Arrive at school around 0800, be ready to work traffic & buses drop offs at  830-0915
Then walking patrols of exterior & interior buildings. Then post up in hallways for class changes approximately every 45min-1 hour until 11:45 then supervises lunches in cafeteria from 11:50- 1400 afterwards back into hallway for last  two class changes 
At about 1600 outside for traffic directing for after school pick ups until about 4:45 then clock out at 1700 repeat same duties the next day!!!

As a support employee you’re on the school’s  schedule. Unless you’re management you’re on almost the exact schedule as the students. You just cannot beat the schedule!
 Starting pay is fair for unskilled workers in that area, and there are pay incentives for experienced workers. You can make a decent wage working your way up the ladder.
 The upper management for support staff is outsourced to Sodexo. As time went on working there felt more like working for a for profit organization than for a school, which I wasn’t  fond of.  There were huge upheavals in both management and operating procedures in my last year there that caused a lot of stress and higher than normal turn over. COVID is currently causing its own havoc with how everything runs as well. 
 Overall I would suggest Tulsa public schools as a workplace to anyone. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Teacher 12 salaries reported	$13.44 per hour
Building supervisor 23 salaries reported	$19.58 per hour
Cook 12 salaries reported	$15.49 per hour
Senior cook 12 salaries reported	$16.14 per hour
School counselor 12 salaries reported	$59,726 per year

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