Oklahoma City Public Schools

Um, So you're leading in two very different spaces.

As an early childhood leader with the Oklahoma City Public Schools and the president of the AUIC, what are you seeing and hearing from educators right now that you believe the rest of the early childhood community needs to understand?

Yeah, you know, and I think I've noticed this in my career for a long time because also as the executive director of early childhood for Oklahoma City Public Schools, I also run several child cares.

We provide child care for our staff and our parenting students in the district, which is, I mean, honestly, one of the greatest joys of my life.

But I did go through the traditional route to be a public school teacher in early childhood.

Mm.

As an early childhood leader with the Oklahoma City Public Schools and the president, um, of, uh, the AYC, what are you seeing and hearing from educators right now that you believe the rest of the early childhood community needs to understand?

Yeah.

You know, and I think I've, I've noticed this in my career for a long time 'cause also as the executive director of early childhood for Oklahoma City Public Schools, I also run several childcares.

[laughs] Um, we provide childcare for our staff a- and our, our parenting students in the district, which is, I mean, honestly, one of the greatest joys of my life.

But I did go through the traditional route to be a public school teacher in early childhood.

His family's called South OKC home for four generations.

Michael's mother taught at Oklahoma City Community College and his father worked for Oklahoma City Public Schools.

He earned his bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

Led by his entrepreneurial spirit, he opened Michael Brooks Jimenez PC in South OKC 28 years ago.

What does meaningful access to justice mean or look like to you?

Well, and so I think that meaningful access to justice for my clients, oftentimes it's not just within the immigration realm, but also other situations.

And so one that immediately comes to mind for me is different school districts and the fact that their school board meetings aren't translated, including the Oklahoma City Public Schools, which is the largest district in the state of Oklahoma.

I think still that currently, There's no translation for those board meetings.

And we are seeing course corrections.

Oklahoma City Schools actually really was the ones that led the way on this, saying, no, we are eliminating any screen time for pre-K through second.

We are severely restricting screen time after that.

And I think that there is a balance there because computers are a part of life and you need to know how to use one before you graduate high school.

... right there.

Uh, Cody has, he has overseen the entire physical plant of Northeastern State University, the entire physical plant of Oklahoma City Public Schools, Tahlequah Schools, and of Guthrie Schools.

And I, and I told him, we, we joke about this.

I didn't even mention buses yet.