StateImpact’s Beth Wallis spoke with education reporter Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton about how Tulsa Public Schools got into this dilemma and what’s next for the community.
Beth Wallis: Lenzy, let’s talk TPS.
Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton: Let's go.
Wallis: One of the many public commenters at the meeting called the situation the district is in an institutional earthquake and asked how the district could get into such a colossal mess. So how did TPS get into a 12 million dollar budget shortfall?
Krehbiel-Burton: TPS's enrollment has dropped by more than 5,000 kids in the last five, six years. Fewer kids, less state aid, less federal aid, plus you have fewer kids being born on top of that.
We also have to acknowledge that there's the school choice factor as well. Multiple charter schools have opened within Tulsa Public Schools attendance area or just outside Tulsa Public Schools attendance area since the last time they closed schools. You have the Parental Choice Tax Credit as well, so you have, that's less money going into public education. I mean, it's complicated. I mean, there's no single smoking gun here.
Wallis: Is this a problem that's unique to TPS, or are other surrounding suburban districts dealing with the same issue?
Krehbiel-Burton: So public school enrollment in 2025-2026 dropped by 10,000 kids. So, it's not just TPS there. Yes, TPS enrollment has declined, but there weren't 10,000 kids missing just from that one district. Everybody's down.
Now, how districts are managing it, it's going to vary from district to district. TPS is in a unique situation compared to most of its neighbors. Because its footprint is so big, because it has so many buildings, versus, you go to Union [Public Schools] — one high school, one freshman academy, [one] six/seventh center, the eighth grade center, and nowhere near as many elementary schools. Slightly different Tetris.
Wallis: TPS made headlines this summer and previously in 2024 for alleged administrative embezzlement. Have those issues had any bearing on the financial predicament the district finds itself in now?
Krehbiel-Burton: They are a factor as well, to a certain extent. I mean, there is still litigation ongoing, so it's hard to gauge how much of an impact that's going to have still. But that's money that could have been going to other projects, other needs.
Wallis: The district has said no certified positions will be eliminated, but what about support staff?
Krehbiel-Burton: That is one of the $64,000 questions that's still outstanding at last night's meeting. I've talked with leadership for the American Federation of Teachers, local No. 6049, the collective bargaining unit for Tulsa Public Schools support employees, and they said it publicly last night. They're worried, they are scared, they are concerned, and they don't have enough clarity about what this brave new world is going to look like for them. And I can't say I blame them.
Wallis: So there is also bond money that TPS is setting on that was specifically for some of these schools that are going to be closed. What happens to that money?
Krehbiel-Burton: So, that money, any recommendations on adjusting how that money is spent would have to go before, first it has to go to the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee with recommendations saying, “Hey, this is what we want to do, are you cool with this?” And then it goes to the Board of Education.
There is approximately $7.4 million left from the 2021 bond that was earmarked to renovate Sequoyah [Elementary School]. That renovation never happened. So the administration will have to come back with its recommendation on how to spend that money. And they cannot spend it on salaries. It has to go toward projects that can be legally covered by bond dollars. So construction, textbooks, things like that.
As for the ‘26 bond, they haven't started the spend yet. Those dollars have not been distributed. They're gonna have to reallocate and figure out, “OK, if we're not doing this, what else do we need to do that we can put bond money towards?” So that may mean any capital improvements at some of the sites that are getting kiddos. It may mean having to make adjustments to the parking lot or bathroom improvements or ADA improvements, things like that. It just depends on the needs at those specific receiving sites.
Wallis: How responsive has TPS been to community suggestions for consolidation strategies?
Krehbiel-Burton: I'll put it this way, there were suggestions made at multiple community meetings. For example, Sequoyah and Springdale put together a proposal to be consolidated at Sequoyah. That wasn't in the package that was voted on last night. You have to wonder, OK, why weren't there any changes? Like, if you look at the proposal that was voted on last night, it was almost identical to what was presented as a draft in mid-September.
Wallis: If a family attends one of these schools on the chopping block, how could their lives change next school year?
Krehbiel-Burton: New school, new routine. New teachers, new faces around their kiddos.
Depending on where your kiddo goes now, they may or may not have that many familiar faces at their new school next year. I mean, one of the things that, one of points that was brought up at a listening session from a student at Thoreau Demonstration is that, her school's a magnet school. They get kiddos from all over Tulsa. So when that school closes at the end of the year, they're not all just moving as a group, as is the case for some of those communities. They're gonna be scattered to the winds. And for a preteen or a teenager, that is particularly difficult to contemplate.
Wallis: What about transportation? Are there going to be issues with getting kids now to much farther away campuses?
Krehbiel-Burton: One of the points that was brought up multiple times during the course of listening sessions is, “OK, my kid walks to school, and you're now wanting to redirect them to a school that is across 244. Or across 169 or Highway 75. What do we do if they miss the bus? We don't have a car.” So that is going to require some close attention and a lot of conversation to see, OK, is this really gonna be worth it?
And particularly given, I mean, given what the cost of diesel is, I mean is this going to mean extra bus stops? Longer routes. They said last night that the amount of time kids spend on the bus won't be any longer, but I will believe it when I see it.
Wallis: Education reporter, Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton. Thank you for joining me.
Krehbiel-Burton: Thanks for having me.
This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
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