For six months now, I have tried to index this world for you.
There’s the world you see in Tulsa and the world out there that is a lot closer and more consequential than you may think.
I know everyone’s busy so I thought it made sense to make media designed to distill data, stories and insight so it was easy and quick to consume. If you wanted to dig deep, you could read the whole story. If you just wanted to skim notes, numbers and quotes – what I thought was worth your attention after catching mine – you could do that and go about your day guilt free.
The Collington Index is one of two businesses I started to serve this community since leaving the Tulsa World a year ago this month. The consulting practice I started in January allows me to partner with incredible people leading businesses and nonprofits. I have found both to be fighting the good fight, even though that battle isn’t always fair. I’ve helped solve problems, boost revenue, dig into the financials to save money, coach leaders, teach how to best tell a story, lead group retreats, grow digital audience, offer a fresh perspective on tough decisions, find more customers, interview employees to find the real problems, develop strategic plans, suggest proven tactics, fix broken systems and recruit new employees. I’m happy to report the work has produced a series of line graphs where the results go up and to the right.
When I look at the numbers for the Collington Index, I’m happy to report that the trend is also up and to the right. Thank you for the support – both in the number of subscribers and those incredible supporters who donated money without my asking. Thanks to you, I can afford to dedicate time each week to the index and offer unlocked articles appearing on news websites with paid subscriptions.
I have called the index a movement toward truth and understanding. I hope that’s what it has been for you. Let’s go another six months and see what we can do. jc
The top story
Facing $12 million in cuts, Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Ebony Johnson recommends to the board closing or repurposing schools
At last night’s TPS board meeting in front of a packed room, the Tulsa World’s Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton reported that 14 are elementary schools, two are middle schools and one is an alternative school. One high school would become the place for alternative programs and a virtual academy. But even with all of these changes, there still needs to be more cuts.
My take: Leaders have to make decisions. Tough ones. There’s a host of numbers and trends that are going into this reality at TPS and other urban districts. We have been through this exercise before of closing schools. But the economics of public education still show they are worth every penny. Tulsans just approved bond issues to help this district, something that reminded me that they still understand they need to support public education, which still teaches 90 percent of our students. This is never going to be easy work. But it’s worth it. After decades of unfunded mandates, never enough resources, suburban growth and only recent investments in paying decent wages, this is where we find ourselves. What Dr. Johnson needs right now is a city surrounding her and asking how can I help?
Notable numbers
More than 900
– The number of air conditioning repairs addressed at campuses owned by Tulsa Public Schools since July 1, as reported by the Tulsa World’s Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton. She said TPS still had 137 to go. She wrote on Sept. 18 that some of the places without AC included seven school cafeteria kitchens.
12 years
– How long it’s been since downtown Tulsa has had a grocery store. Oasis Fresh Market opens Sept. 28. The Oklahoma Eagle’s Ismael Lele has the story.
$504,313.88
– The amount that Rev. Keith Mayes, the former senior pastor of Vernon AME Church in the Historic Greenwood District, pleaded guilty to embezzling. The Oklahoma Eagle’s Elliot Terrell with the story.
Quotable quotes
On broken air conditioners
“Our classrooms don’t have air conditioning, and our learning spaces are reaching temperatures of up to 92 degrees. When our classrooms are this hot, the only thing we can think of is about how hot it is.”
– Part of a letter to the editor published by the Tulsa World attributed to East Central Middle School Changemakers, which is a group of students focused on making change for good at the school.
On civics
“My greatest fear is that people don’t understand our system of government. They don’t understand what the First Amendment means. They don’t understand what our system of government presumes. Some of my colleagues don’t either by the way, and I’m not joking about that.”
– U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the featured speaker at the Judge Stephanie K. Seymour Lecture series sponsored by the Northern/Eastern Oklahoma Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. The Tulsa Flyer’s Ginnie Graham has this report.
On the value of coaching
“While money challenges or crises seem universal for Oklahoma public school districts, Tulsa-area high school head football coaches make more money than ever before.”
– The Tulsa World’s Bill Haisten who always scores the most popular story in his analysis of high school football coaching salaries. He finds this year that 16 area coaches have a 2026-27 total-compensation package with a value of more than $100,000.
On how things turn out
“That’s really funny, because you guys just turned me down to be a franchise owner, and now you want me to go recruit them for you. But it was one of the best things I could have done.”
– David Chen, the owner of the Southroads and 13th and Utica Chick-fil-A locations in Tulsa, in a good profile by the Tulsa World’s Ashton Slaughter and Mike Simons. Chen was just named Tulsa Regional Chamber’s 2026 Small Business Person of the Year. He says that 1,070 employees have come through his restaurants – talk about a workforce pipeline. He’s got 230,000 followers on TikTok.
On gambling
“It is as predatory as it sounds. If you lose more, we give you more, so you keep playing more.”
– From an interview with a former DraftKings analyst who, like many interviewed for this unlocked New York Times article, requested anonymity because he feared retribution. The story explains how the gambling site uses AI to target gamblers likeliest to lose and sends them betting incentives.
The marketer’s new to-do list
I recently spoke to the American Marketing Association’s Tulsa chapter in a presentation titled “Indexing (Not Marketing) to the NoLo, Interest Feed, IRL, Shelfie and Local Media Life in the Age of Hobbyamory.”
I included in the handout a new to-do list for marketers as the social media era begins its descent. Are you and your company ready for that? I offered these comparisons on the actions you need to start on now to adjust to the world we are headed toward.
Then: One big tent. Now: More little tents.
Then: Get a story to press. Now: Gather stories for our press.
Then: Prioritizing job. Now: Prioritizing well-being.
Then: Selling a product. Now: Creating an experience.
Then: End with a committed relationship. Now: End with a finished product.
Then: Matched, small talk and drinking. Now: Creative, tactile and not drinking.
Then: Compliant and following. Now: Confident and fulfilled.
Then: Optimizing for the algorithm. Now: Getting people in a room together.
Then: Reach creates awareness. Now: Presence creates loyalty.
Happy to share more about this presentation or chat about what you need help with. Email me at jc@jasoncollington.com.
Thanks again to those who read this and have donated funds to help make this happen.
There is no cavalry. It’s up to us. All together now. jc
The Collington Index is a free weekly news summary written by Jason Collington that explains quickly what’s important and interesting, shared in weekly wraps, popular lists, conversations and cheat sheets. Skim or go deep. A movement toward truth and understanding in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Subscribe for free on Substack to get an email newsletter each Tuesday morning. See the archive at collingtonindex.com.
