Catoosa school board votes to cut positions ahead of anticipated budget shortfall

CATOOSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Parents, administrators, and teachers alike crammed into the Catoosa schools cafeteria Monday night to finally get some confirmation on the rumors they've been hearing for a few weeks.

• RELATED | Catoosa Public Schools expected to decide on job cuts in board meeting

"The entire recommendation is hard, but it is based on trying to eliminate administrative and clerical positions so that we do not eliminate teacher positions," said Alicia O'Donnell, Superintendent of Catoosa Public Schools.

Dr. Andrea Williams told the crowd Monday she is one of those seven administrators.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling shocked, hurt, and dismayed over what has transpired in the last week. I feel like I've been punched in the gut by my best friend," she said.

The school board says the cuts will save a little under $400,000 as the district faces a more than $600,000 shortfall in the months ahead. They say it will also preserve their current student-teacher ratio.

"Right now we run on average 24 students per classroom. We're committed to not letting that get above 25. We do not want to end up like a Tulsa Public Schools, and have some classrooms averaging more than 30 students per class," said Catoosa School Board President Robert West.

The cut in funding comes from declining enrollment numbers. For that, O'Donnell levels a lot of blame at the state.

"Funding across the state is not where it needs to be. One of the instances of that is that we are taking public money and we are providing scholarships for students to go to private schools. That is not where our money should be spent, it should go to public institutions," said O'Donnell.

But parents say that doesn't solve the here and now problem of the cuts approved Monday night.