Tulsa Superintendent Announces Spending Cuts After State Slashes Budget

Tulsa Public Schools has announced spending cuts by more than $2 million.

And while that is a lot of money, the bigger concern at the top is next year.

The cut is from the mid-year payment to districts from the state. It's big, but more cuts are coming.

TPS Superintendent Dr. Deborah Gist says the district can absorb this round of cuts without direct impact on the classroom, but it's only because they've been working so hard to cut expenses.

She says people need to realize this cut comes after years of cuts, and it's just not sustainable.

"For Tulsa Public Schools, that's a $20 million cut in what we receive from the state to support education, and that's huge,” Gist said.

The mid-year state funding cut is $2.1 million dollars. TPS plans to adjust with savings on worker's compensation payments, starting a hiring freeze, by eliminating some budgeted but empty positions and cutting travel costs.

The hiring freeze doesn't apply to any jobs directly serving students.

"We've been able to come up with a plan that protects the classrooms and services for the district,” Gist said.

The state school board passed along $47 million in cuts because the state doesn't have the money to spend.

Another cut is coming next month - statewide that's possibly another $19 million.

The the largest and yet unknown cut comes for the next school year.

Gist said that's unlikely to mean layoffs, but it will result in fewer teachers hired next year.

"That allows us actually to do some planning to avoid losing anyone we currently have, but perhaps making adjustments and not hiring as many people," she said.

This cut is $2 million dollars, but the cut for the next school year, according to Doctor Gist, will be many millions of dollars.

The question will be how much downsizing the district will have to do this fall to make up for the drop in state funding that started seven years ago.