Tulsa Public Schools prepare for major budget cuts for next year

UPDATE: Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Deborah Gist comments during a school board meeting Tuesday night about the $20 million shortfall projection for next year.

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TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) - Tulsa Public Schools anticipates a $20 million shortfall for next year and blames declining enrollment and state funding.

In a media briefing, Tulsa Public Schools explained the district has lost 5,000 students over the last 10 years. Funding is tied to each student.

Now the district is tapping into its savings for this school year but anticipates next year there could be a deficit with significant cuts.

Shawna Mott Wright, a teacher, parent and union representative, said it’s devastating.

“I am a teacher but also a parent in this school system, and I am wondering how my kids are going to suffer, how are their kids going to suffer, how are all of our kids going to suffer, with classroom size exploding and without them having drama, PE, music, art,” said Mott Wright.

Rebecca Fine, an education policy analyst with Oklahoma Policy Institute, says the state has come a long way, but that it will take time to catch up, after years of cutting funds.

“I think we have made great progress but we still have far that we need to go. The last two years we saw funding increases that were historic in nature and were hopeful and promising,” said Fine. “But we are still 100 million dollars below base funding compared to 2008. And that is with an additional 54 thousand students to serve.”

Tulsa Public Schools plans to hold 12 community engagement events starting Sept. 12 to allow the community to help decide what should be cut or kept for classrooms.