TULSA – This week Tulsa Public Schools announced they plan to cut $2.1 million from its budget for the 2015-2016 year.
TPS says the decision is a repercussion of the state’s recent revenue failure and the Oklahoma State Board of education enacting $47 million in cuts to public education.
In the statement TPS says, “This $2.1 million reduction in the district’s budget is significant for Tulsa Public Schools, but we have been able to manage it so far by being strategic in choosing where we make cuts,” said Deborah A. Gist, superintendent. “We will make adjustments to spending as needed, though it gets increasingly difficult, as the budget we built for the 2015-16 school year was lean from the start. Further cuts are expected for this year, but we will maintain a balanced budget. In addition, we are considering the difficult steps we will need to take given the significant reductions we expect for the next school year. Our plan is to protect classrooms and school sites to the fullest extent possible and make reductions that directly affect classrooms only as a last resort.”
In order to cover the lost revenue, TPS listed the following areas in which the district has reduced spending.
- Worker’s Compensation savings: $900,000 in savings through increased efficiencies.
- Limited hiring freeze (January – June 2016): $501,152 in reductions. A district-wide hiring freeze will be in effect for positions funded by General and Building Fund dollars. Exceptions will be made only in extreme situations. Vacancies in positions paid for by federal programs will, whenever possible, be filled by district employees paid for by local funds. The hiring freeze will be identified as “limited” or “full,” with a limited freeze on vacant positions at non-school sites (does not apply to bus driver and school cafeteria positions). A full freeze will otherwise be in effect for all TPS vacant positions, unless the superintendent and other senior staff make an exception.
- Employee vacancy/savings to date: $546,885 in savings. This amount represents savings that resulted from vacant positions to date.
- Travel: $96,656 in reductions. Administrators will be urged to minimize out-of-district travel expenses and defer travel, when possible. However, certain grants require travel as a condition of the district receiving the grant, so that travel will continue as planned. Travel that has been obligated (i.e., airline tickets purchased) will continue as planned.
- In addition, all district staff will be asked to defer or eliminate any non-essential purchases.
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Total spending reductions: $2,044,693.
