In a live interview on 2 Works for You Today, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister discussed how her department is moving forward in the face of nearly $47 million in budget cuts and what positives she's seen in her first full year in office.
Last week, Hofmeister's office announced that it approved a required 3 percent budget cut for state education. The $46.7 million cut could force districts that are heavily dependent on state funding to close.
"We tried to do that in a way that would really cushion the effect to students. However it's hard to imagine any kind of cut at this size that is not going to have a negative effect on students," she said.
Hofmeister says the possibility of a school district closing depends upon how much that individual district has in savings. The more it has, Hofmeister says, the more likely it is to stay open.
"We do have some early indicators that that may not come as a surprise," she said in reference to the likelihood of schools closing.
The pain for schools across the state doesn't stop with the initial $46.7 million. Hofmeister says other funding streams could come up short, which would force a second round of cuts. How deep those ultimately become, Hofmeister says, is still largely up in the air.
"It's speculative to say exactly that number at this point, but we'll know that mid-February with the likelihood of additional funds coming to schools in spring," she explained.
Hofmeister, who was inaugurated a year ago, says there also positive changes taking place in Oklahoma education.
"We're seeing a collaborative spirit throughout education, a great focus in Oklahoma for results for kids and I think that there is truly an awareness that if we are going to expect changes, expect progress, we're going to need to make sure that we have a better plan and resources to execute that plan."
Part of that, she says, is dealing with the state's teacher shortage, which hit nearly 1,000 this year.
"We know that they are the most important person in the schoolhouse when effecting change for kids," she said.
In addition to the teacher shortage, Hofmeister says she recognizes other issues facing Oklahoma education, including a D+ grade and state funding cuts that have been the worst in the nation since 2008.
"We do see funds going towards education in Oklahoma. The problem is we have a growing state, and actually, that's not a problem. That's a good thing. That's a sign of success, but we are having a hard time keeping up with the pace of growth, particularly in education," she said.
"I'm here to advocate for what is needed in order to really see a change in where we are in that performance level. I'm not satisfied in any way."
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