Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Tweaks School Closings List

Ashli Sims, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Keith Ballard changed his mind on school consolidation, saving a school slated to shutdown and scuttling a plan to reopen another.

Ballard announced Thursday afternoon that Jones Elementary school will remain open.

Read Dr. Ballard's new Project Schoolhouse Proposal

He will be changing his consolidation plan to eliminate the reopening of Fulton Learning Center as a Pre-K through 6th grade elementary school.  The building will be closed and professional development will be moved to Clinton Junior High and other administrative buildings.

He plans to move the Zarrow International Program to Phillips Elementary school's building. The Zarrow site would become part of Skelly Elementary school, housing Pre-K through 3rd grade. Skelly would educate 4th-6th graders

Under Ballard's amended proposal, 13 schools, instead of 14, will close and only one school, Monroe, will be reopened. Three closed schools, Madison, Nimitz, and Phillips, will be home to new schools.

Ballard did not alter his recommendation on Roosevelt Elementary, despite a strong showing of support by Roosevelt supporters Tuesday night.  The Roosevelt school community argued that their school was added at the last minute and they didn't get as much of a chance as other schools to plead their case.

They requested the school board move Chouteau into Roosevelt instead of Madison Middle School, because Roosevelt would require less retrofitting, since it already operates as an elementary school. The superintendent says he gave that idea a lot of thought, but in the end he thought Madison would be a better fit.

This is new recommendation for school closings:

• Addams
• Alcott
• Barnard
• Bryant
• Cherokee
• Houston
• Phillips
• Roosevelt
• Sandburg
• Cleveland
• Wilson

The following schools will relocate:

• Chouteau moves to Madison
• Grimes moves to Nimitz
• Zarrow moves to Phillips

Related Stories: 

4/27/2011 Business Leaders Back Tulsa Public Schools Consolidation Plan
4/26/2011 Community Praises, Criticizes Tulsa Public Schools Consolidation Proposal
4/26/2011 Tulsa Public School's Advisory Council Approves Final Schoolhouse Recommendation
4/25/2011 District Consolidation To Reshape Tulsa School Boundaries
4/22/2011 How Will District Consolidation Affect Tulsa Public Schools' Transfer Policy?
4/22/2011 14 Tulsa Public Schools To Close Under Superintendent's Final Proposal