TULSA -- Although Tulsa Public Schools is set to return to class Tuesday, teachers may still head to the Capitol. But Superintendent Dr. Deborah Gist says she's confident TPS teachers will be back in the classroom.
“We’re not satisfied at all," Gist said.
It's simply not enough.
“Oklahoma isn’t satisfied either. Now our elected officials know that," Gist said.
“I support them," Gloria Boone said. "They should stay out as long as it takes to get what they want.”
Gist made the tough decision to send students back to the classroom after the Oklahoma Education Association officially ended the walkout Thursday.
“I do not think that it could have accomplished more, which is why I made the decision to come back," she said.
TPS says teachers will be back Monday as well as support staff, hourly employees who went days without work.
“We actually had our employees working last week so we were able to find meaningful things for them to do in the district," Gist said.
Students won't head back until Tuesday.
“We just believed it was really important for our students to have the best possible experience when they return to school to give our teachers some time to prepare for them," Gist said.
There's talk some teachers aren't done with the walkout and may be headed back to the Capitol.
“Our children need to be in school, therefore we all need to be in school," Gist said.
“It is costing them money to be out there and it’s only when they feel they have done what they needed to do to make things better for themselves and their children," Boone said.
As districts across the state prepare to head to class, Gist knows teachers will never back down.
“Everything is going to be different from this point forward," she said.
The school district will decide Monday night at the school board meeting how they plan to make up missed days. State testing is expected within the new few weeks.
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