TULSA, OK (KJRH) — As Tulsa Public Schools looks to cut $20 million from the 2020-21 budget, they’re looking to parents to determine what to keep.
Tuesday night marked the first of 11 meetings in which parents are able to speak up to determine what stays and what goes.
When the need for the cuts was announced, Superintendent Deborah Gist said everything is on the table, including closing down schools. Parents like Holly Brown are understandably concerned by how this is going to impact their students.
"Every time someone hears we have to have budget cuts, everybody goes into panic mode," Brown said. Her daughter goes to Webster High School, and both her children have gone through three school consolidations. "I will fight for the west side with everything I've got."
Teachers are worried their resources, and even their classes, could be taken away. They're even more concerned about their students and how cuts will impact them.
"It affects them more than anyone," Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association Vice President Shawna Mott-Wright said. "They lose out on opportunities. You could have band kids walking around not knowing they’re band kids - kids not getting the opportunity to play an instrument.”
Tulsa Public Schools will let the community say what they would give and take away with budget cuts during these meetings. They will then present all the info in a plan to the board based on that feedback.
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