Oklahoma City Public Schools announced another $10 million in budget cuts on Tuesday.
Interim superintendent Aurora Lora presented a long list of things that will be eliminated or changed in order to achieve these cost reductions:
- Eliminating funding for SAT testing, and AP testing
- Reducing elementary supply budgets by $10 per pupil
- Significantly reducing contracts with consultants and outside vendors. The district would not say which vendors yet
- They will not buy new textbooks next year
- Delaying athletic equipment and uniform purchases.
- Reducing adjunct coaching positions.
- Suspending non-federally funded travel.
- Changing the start times of some schools in order to make busing more efficient.
Due to multiple state revenue failures the district is working to cut a total of $30 million from its budget. OKCPS has already cut 208 teachers and 93 administrators, and they’re still looking for ways to cut another $7 million. District officials say school consolidation and suspending school programs including arts and athletics is not out of the question.
"This is a very difficult time," said Lora. "And what we’re trying to do right now is avoid cutting any more teaching positions so we’re having to look at everything else including cuts all the way up to the very top levels."
Lora says academic performance will definitely be impacted.
Tuesday's announcement came after Broken Arrow, Union, and Bixby public schools - the sixth, eighth, and 19th-largest districts respectively - announced Monday night they were cutting millions of dollars.
Tulsa Public Schools, the state's second-largest district, recently slashed $8 million from its budget, including 142 teaching positions.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
