State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister addresses cuts at two Green Country school districts
The word from Catoosa and Tulsa schools paint the picture of an education system up against a wall, but state schools Superintendent Joy Hofmeister is seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.
"I foresee additional education funds. We know that Oklahoma has made a priority over the last two years and have actually added 623 million new dollars into education," said Hofmeister.
That being said, two districts made cuts in two days, so we asked her, is this the new normal?
"Schools are paid and receive funds based on enrollment," she said. " As enrollment declines, you would see less funds coming in that appropriation. Some of our schools are seeing more money because they are seeing a lot of growth. This is something that really depends on an overall strong and robust economy."
She says she has no reason to doubt the legislature will provide millions more, but before that kicks in, there will still be tough times.
"But it will be a sacrifice when money is still thin, but yet, we know that legislators have made it a priority," Hofmeister said, "but we're there to insist that they know what those needs are, and we're certainly not going to be quiet about what our kids need."