Anna America, an active community volunteer and executive director of the environmental non-profit Up With Trees, has filed for the Office 4 Tulsa Public Schools School Board seat.
A former journalist and an aide to Mayor Kathy Taylor, America, 46, is married to Michael Patton, the executive director of the Metropolitan Environmental Trust. They have two children who both attend Tulsa Public Schools.
“The school board is one of the most important boards in Tulsa, and we need people who are willing to look at new ideas and move the district forward,” America says. “I believe we have strong, progressive leadership with Dr. Keith Ballard as superintendent, and I want to make sure we have a school board that will be just as effective.”
America says she believes the school board needs more people who have children in Tulsa Public Schools. “Those of us with kids in the system right now can see first-hand what is working and what isn’t, and what impact the board’s decisions have.” America noted that she has been an active community volunteer for decades, focusing both on youth as well as broader community involvement.
America says if elected, her priorities will include helping the district focus on narrowing the achievement gap between the district’s best and worst performing schools, reducing the dropout rate, getting parents more actively engaged with schools and strengthening the ties between public schools and the community. Those and other issues are outlined at her Web site, www.America4Schools.com.
“And clearly, with the threat of more state budget cuts coming, a huge priority will be working with the district to figure out how to use our resources more wisely while also looking for new funding sources or partnerships that can bolster what’s happening in the classroom,” she adds.
America graduated from the University of Tulsa in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in communications. She has been at the helm of Up with Trees for nearly three years, overseeing a period of success and growth for the urban forestry organization, which plants trees around the community and promotes urban forestry awareness and education. She helped develop and administers the ReGreen Tulsa effort to replant trees after the 2007 ice storm. During her tenure, Up With Trees purchased a new facility, more than doubled the number of trees planted annually and launched innovative new programs educating hundreds of Tulsans on the importance of a healthy urban forest.
