'Save our school': Tulsa Met students protest TPS consolidation plan

TULSA, Okla. — With posters in hand, Tulsa Met Junior High and High School students made their voices heard.

“We were thinking about the things we could do and as students, we felt like we couldn’t do much," said Ismael Lopez. "But, student council, we all brainstormed, we came up with the idea to — even if it’s an area where there’s not that many people — just get out and let people know that we care about this. We don’t want it to shut down. This is our school.”

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Teachers, students and parents peacefully protested Tulsa Public School's plan to consolidate or close 17 schools district wide to make up for a $12 million budget shortfall.

The district's reasoning for the schools chosen was due to low enrollment and limited use of the buildings.

For Lopez and his classmates, the more intimate learning environment is actually something he sees as a benefit.

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“We would all get sent to other schools and the reason why that's an issue is because a lot of us are here for the smaller classes, for the smaller environment because a lot of students do not thrive in a big environment when there’s a lot of students," said Lopez. "There’s a lot of issues.”

Gunner Tanner is an 11th grader at Tulsa Met, holding a sign that said 'Kids deserve to be part of the conversation.'

"I feel like ever since I came to this school, I've been able to get better grades, I've been able to get better one on one time with teachers," said Tanner. "I would hate to see this school shut down because to me and all other Met students, Met is not just a school, it is a community, that is always here for us."

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"Listen to these kids, listen to the staff and the teachers, and just see that you closing these schools is not your answer," said Tulsa Met mom Alessa Blancas. "Right now, all they're doing is putting these kids up for failure. That's all they're doing."

The Tulsa school board will vote on the proposal on Oct. 19. If the proposal passes, the consolidations would be effective for the 2027-2028 academic year.

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