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Oklahoma City Public Schools To Cut Over 200 Teaching Jobs

Jacob McCleland
/
KGOU

Oklahoma City Public Schools announced Wednesday it will cut 208 teaching positions next year. District officials are attributing the move to what they're calling a catastrophic budget crisis.

Superintendent Rob Neu says he's not sure which teachers will be affected just yet.

"It is my hope that all 208 will be through natural attrition, whether it be retirement, or people leaving the profession, or transferring," Neu said.

He says these cuts will cause class sizes to grow, and course offerings to be slashed. More cuts are coming, too.

Two state revenue failures, and a looming budget shortfall-caused the district to reduce its budget by $30 million over this year and next. These staff cuts will save just $8 million.

Neu says other than this, nothing is really safe-including administration. He says the district is also considering shortening the school year next year.

Watch Neu discuss the budget cuts with reporters in this NewsOK video

In graduate school at the University of Montana, Emily Wendler focused on Environmental Science and Natural Resource reporting with an emphasis on agriculture. About halfway through her Master’s program a professor introduced her to radio and she fell in love. She has since reported for KBGA, the University of Montana’s college radio station and Montana’s PBS Newsbrief. She was a finalist in a national in-depth radio reporting competition for an investigatory piece she produced on campus rape. She also produced in-depth reports on wind energy and local food for Montana Public Radio. She is very excited to be working in Oklahoma City, and you can hear her work on all things from education to agriculture right here on KOSU.
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