TPS Plans To Close 4 Elementary Schools Next School Year

In an effort to save money Tulsa Public Schools will be closing four elementary schools.

Tulsa Public Schools sent letters home with students Tuesday who are attending schools that could be closed next year due to the ongoing budget shortage.

Jones Elementary School is one of the schools selected for a possible shutdown. The other schools said to be on the list are Mark Twain, Wright and Grimes Elementary.

Between them, those schools have about 1,200 students who could be moving to new schools next year. The district has already had rounds of consolidation over the last decade, closing buildings as enrollment drops. The district needs to cut nearly $20 million from its annual operating budget to avoid a deficit in 2021. TPS said it would announce a plan this month.

In a statement, TPS said, in part, "As we work to shape a sustainable future for our district, we have identified some possible changes that would impact teachers, students, and families at certain schools in our district. We intend to share more information regarding potential changes with families on Tuesday."

The district held a number of community meetings in the past few months. They plan to hold another round of these meetings on the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th to get more feedback on a potential plan.

Keep in mind, the school board would have to approve the changes in order for them to take effect which cannot happen until January at the earliest.

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