The district’s back-to-school hub brings together the return-to-school form and links for bus routes, bell times, meals, enrollment, immunization requirements, school supplies, uniforms and student and school safety information.

Required family action

Tulsa Public Schools requires parents and guardians to complete a return-to-school form for each enrolled student. Families should complete the form before the first day and use the district’s back-to-school hub to confirm any school-specific instructions.

What families should check before Aug. 19

Parents should verify each student’s transportation plan, bus route and school-day schedule before Aug. 19. Bell times can vary by school, so families should check the schedule for each student rather than rely on a districtwide assumption.

The district hub also directs families to information about meals, enrollment, immunization requirements, school-specific supply lists, uniforms and safety resources. Families who are new to Tulsa Public Schools or need enrollment assistance can use the district’s Enrollment Center resources.

Tulsa Public Schools’ family calendar lists Aug. 19 as the first day of school. It also lists extended Enrollment Center hours from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 11, Aug. 13, Aug. 18 and Aug. 19.

Help available at OSU-Tulsa on Aug. 4

Families seeking supplies, immunizations or information about local services can attend the Community Back-to-School Bash from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, at Main Hall in the Commons at OSU-Tulsa, 700 N. Greenwood Ave. in Tulsa.

The event is open to students from prekindergarten through 12th grade. Free school supplies are available while supplies last, and students must attend to receive a backpack with school supplies. The Tulsa Health Department will provide free immunizations.

Participating agencies listed by OSU-Tulsa include OSU-Tulsa Police, the Tulsa Police Department, EMSA, the Tulsa Fire Department and the City of Tulsa Water and Sewer Department. The event also includes information about programs and services intended to help students prepare for the school year.

Health and immunization planning

The Tulsa Health Department advises families to review immunization records early because clinics can become busy as the first day of school approaches. The department says there are no new immunization requirements for the 2026-27 school year, but Oklahoma students must present an immunization record or file an exemption before attending school.

Children entering kindergarten may need routine doses including DTaP, polio, MMR and varicella. A Tdap vaccine is required for students entering seventh grade. Children transferring into Oklahoma schools from another state may also need hepatitis A vaccination unless an exemption is on file.

Tulsa Health Department clinics offer appointments and selected walk-in hours. The department lists extended immunization walk-in hours from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at James O. Goodwin Health Center on Aug. 6 and Aug. 18, and at Central Regional Health Center on Aug. 11 and Aug. 13. Families should bring the child’s most recent vaccination record and confirm coverage or cost details before visiting.

Families should use the official Tulsa Public Schools back-to-school hub and 2026-27 family calendar for final instructions, school-specific schedules and changes before Aug. 19.

Sources

• Tulsa Public Schools 2026-27 Family Calendar
• OSU-Tulsa Community Back-to-School Bash
• Tulsa Health Department back-to-school guidance

The charges were filed in Tulsa County District Court and include 27 counts of conspiracy, embezzlement and kickbacks. Prosecutors say the defendants’ conduct involved roofing projects where work wasn’t performed, along with related payments that prosecutors characterize as bogus.

Who is charged in the Tulsa Public Schools bond-funds case

According to the charging announcement and the court filing, prosecutors accuse:

• Charles Christopher “Chris” Hudgins, formerly executive director of bond and emergency management at TPS
• Gayle Dean Gwinup
• Thomas Edward McKenna

What prosecutors allege happened

At the press conference, Drummond said Hudgins allegedly directed Tulsa schools to pay Allied Engineering Group (AEG) more than $779,000 for roofing projects where, prosecutors allege, no work was performed.

Prosecutors also allege AEG paid more than $736,000 to M&G Consulting, an architecture consulting firm owned by Hudgins, for bogus work. Prosecutors further allege the payments were taken from TPS’ 2021 bond package.

According to the court filing, the alleged work involved roof-related projects at multiple TPS campuses, including Unity Learning Academy and Mark Twain Elementary School.

Prosecutors also allege McKenna used a separate company, Starr Design Group Inc., to continue the alleged scheme at additional TPS locations.

Why voter-approved bond money is central to the case

Capital improvement bond funds are intended to support long-term school facility repairs and upgrades. In their announcement, prosecutors framed the alleged scheme as a misuse of taxpayer dollars voters approved to improve TPS buildings.

Connection to state oversight and TPS’s stated response

Prosecutors said the charges emerged in part from an ongoing forensic audit of Tulsa Public Schools by State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd, which the AG’s office said is expected to be released in July.

Public reporting tied the case to that audit process and described an oversight failure the audit allegedly identified (including that the district “routinely” failed to properly oversee funds, according to the reporting). Public Radio Tulsa also reported that TPS Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson said the matter stems from past misconduct referred to law enforcement by district staff and that TPS implemented “significant safeguards and operational changes” since discovery of the misconduct.

What happens next—and what residents should watch

These charges are allegations, not findings. The AG’s office said those charged are presumed innocent unless and until convicted in court.

For parents and taxpayers, the practical questions will be answered as the case moves through court: what evidence prosecutors plan to present, how the alleged contract activity is explained, and what the audit and related oversight changes show about where controls broke down—and how TPS now plans to prevent similar issues.

Sources

• Oklahoma AG press release (June 4, 2026)
• Public Radio Tulsa (context on audit + TPS safeguards)

For Tulsa families, staff, homeowners and employers, the questions reach well beyond school walls. The package touches classrooms, buildings, technology and transportation. Tulsa Public Schools is pitching it as Four Propositions. One Bright Future. No Tax rate Increase, arguing that school conditions matter both to daily student life and to Tulsa’s ability to attract and keep residents and businesses.

What each proposition would fund

Proposition 1: $200,985,000. This is the student opportunities piece. The ballot language covers textbooks, library books, electronic media, software, early childhood and Montessori programs, STEM labs, post-secondary readiness, fine arts and athletics. On its bond page, TPS points to examples such as instructional materials, career academy upgrades, playgrounds and outdoor classrooms.

Proposition 2: $276,000,000. This is the facilities question. It would pay for building repairs, remodeling and equipment. TPS says that includes safety and security work, HVAC repair and replacement, roof work, ADA improvements, restroom upgrades, painting, flooring, windows and kitchen improvements.

Proposition 3: $104,785,000. This covers student and staff technology. The district says it includes cybersecurity, data storage, network systems, staff devices, student devices such as Chromebooks, classroom display screens and other technology-related building upgrades.

Proposition 4: $27,230,000. This is the transportation piece. TPS says it would cover yellow bus replacements, activity buses and other student transport vehicles, bus parts, support fleet vehicles, and software, cameras and Wi-Fi equipment for buses.

The tax claim and the bar to pass

TPS says the bond package would come with no tax-rate increase. That is the district’s central sales pitch, and it is likely the first question many homeowners will ask before voting.

These questions also face a higher threshold than many local races. Oklahoma school finance guidance says a bond issue does not pass with a simple majority. It needs 60% approval. In practical terms, each proposition has to clear that mark on its own.

What a yes or no vote means

A yes vote authorizes TPS to borrow for the projects listed in that proposition. A no vote blocks that specific bond authorization. It does not automatically cut current school services, but it would mean those proposed projects are not approved through this election. If district leaders still wanted to pursue them later, they would need to come back with another proposal or use some other funding path.

That separate-vote structure matters. As KJRH noted ahead of Election Day, Tulsa voters are casting yes-or-no votes on each proposition, not on one single package. A voter could back building repairs but oppose transportation, or support classroom technology without supporting all four questions.

For anyone still heading to the polls, Tulsa Public Schools lists Election Day voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Oklahoma State Election Board says voters can use the OK Voter Portal to check their polling place and sample ballot, and in-person voters must show proof of identity.

Sources

• TPS election proclamation and ballot language
• Tulsa Public Schools 2026 Bond page
• Tulsa Public Schools voter information
• Oklahoma State Election Board voting FAQs
• Oklahoma State Department of Education school finance guide
• KJRH reporting on TPS bond debate
• KOSU April 7 election preview