Webster High School Could Double In Size Under TPS' Consolidation Plan

Drastic cuts at Tulsa Public Schools to save millions could mean closing schools and merging sports teams, buying fewer textbooks and sending teachers home without pay for two days.

Hundreds of westside students will change schools under a plan that closes three smaller elementary schools and moves the students of Clinton Middle School into Webster High.

Webster is one of the few places where the staff is relieved about the plan.

As the smallest traditional high school in Tulsa, it's was on the chopping block, but now could double in size.

"We've got room, said" Shelly Holman, Webster Principal. "We're going to be looking at different spaces and we're looking at spaces now that are underutilized for capacity but we have the room to bring them in. That whole family of students and staff and family and have all of them cover over and join us."

Webster has 476 students and room for far more. Clinton Middle School has about 400 students and the plan is for all of them to move out to Webster.

Tulsa has three other combined junior and high school campuses already - Central, Rogers and Edison.

The plan involves closing three other schools - all on the West side.

The largest of the three is Remington.

4/6/2017 Related Story: Tulsa Parents Upset At TPS' Cost-Cutting School Consolidation Plan

Park Elementary is one of the smallest and ECDC Porter is an early childhood site.

When those buildings close, all of their students will go to Clinton.

"I'm confident we'll be able to provide those students with a higher quality school experience but the pain of this recommendation is hard for people to imagine unless people remember, 'what if this was my child's school?'" said Dr. Deborah Gist, TPS Superintendent.

The district plans to have meetings for parents of each of the schools affected by consolidation.    

They haven't set the dates for the parent meetings yet.