“They didn’t hear us,” said Kerr Elementary health aide Jennifer Jones.
She wiped away tears shortly after the Tulsa Public Schools board voted 6-1 Monday night to close 17 campuses next year, including Kerr. District leaders rolled out the plan — an effort to cut $12 million from TPS’ operational deficit — less than four weeks before the vote.
Altogether, the closures will eliminate around 10,000 seats at TPS, directly affecting more than 4,700 students who will be relocated to new sites starting with the 2027-28 school year.
“They said that all the children will adapt, they’re resilient — but how many times do our kids have to start over?” said Jones. “… We can’t say that we didn’t try. We did what we could to keep our doors open.”
These campuses will close with the end of the school year: Anderson Elementary; Bell Elementary; Dolores Huerta Elementary; Greenwood Leadership Academy; Hoover Elementary; Kerr Elementary; Key Elementary; Marshall Elementary; Mitchell Elementary; Peary Elementary; Robertson Elementary; Sequoyah Elementary; Springdale Elementary; Thoreau Demonstration Academy; Unity Learning Academy; Central Middle; and Tulsa MET Middle and High.
TPS estimates closures will save $11.1 million over time, largely through reductions in staffing costs at the shuttering sites. The district also plans to cut $1.5 million in additional central office expenses.
Changes won’t be immediate. The district still needs to work out essential details like transportation changes and staffing reassignments ahead of winter break and the school enrollment period for families.
“We ask that you continue to send us our very best, which is your child. We ask that you continue to choose Tulsa Public Schools,” said Superintendent Ebony Johnson ahead of the vote. “We ask that you lock arms with us and help us to make sure that in the event that the board approves this plan, that we do this right, for you and your child.”
Protests, petitions and public comment
The proposal drew emotional responses from families and educators in the last month. Nearly 30 people signed up for public comment at Monday’s packed meeting, many urging the district board to delay its vote.
“Please do not make closing Mitchell (Elementary) the final answer before giving the Mitchell community an opportunity to become part of the solution,” said teacher Eileen Jackson. “We are asking for one year, one year to increase enrollment … one year to strengthen programming and show families why Mitchell should be their first choice. And one year with clear, measurable goals that TPS and the community agree upon together.”
Schools coordinated protests, petitions and some even proposed alternative plans for sites — including Sequoyah and Springdale elementary families who advocated for their consolidation, not closure. In total, around 715 people attended district community sessions and 2,202 chimed in to TPS’ survey, which closed Friday.
“I know you have hard decisions to make, but I think the responsible thing and the thing that would demonstrate that you’re listening would be to table this vote and have a more robust conversation about this plan,” said state Rep. Michelle McCane, D-Tulsa, told board members Monday night.
McCane, who is seeking re-election for Oklahoma House District 72, is a former TPS teacher.
“Tulsa Public Schools has lost the trust of many in the community, and this plan and the way that it has been shoved through has further broken that trust,” she added.
Despite an outpouring of community feedback, the district did not substantially change its reduction plan, and the board did not request a delay or edits to the proposal before voting on the closures.
Board member Calvin Moniz was the sole dissenting voice.
“On paper this proposal is probably the most plausible financial solution that’s available to the district, but also sustainably, I believe that requires execution,” Moniz said. “And I don’t feel that I have enough confidence that our systems and the coordination and the implementation — along with our bond commitments — the current operations of the district, and executing this plan can be done (to) the best support of our students.”
Facing the numbers
TPS has seen steadily declining enrollment for decades, and shrinking birth rate shows no sign of letting up, administrators say. This year, estimated enrollment has fallen again, to slightly more than 31,600.
Kristen Stephens, the district’s chief financial officer, said Monday projected enrollment declines would cause six more elementary schools to fall below 60% of their capacity in the next two years.
That would impact state funding — the dollars TPS uses to cover core expenses and pay staff. Current spending at TPS without cuts, administrators say, would drain the district’s fund balance and leave it unable to pay employees by fall 2028.
“It’s hard to do unpopular things, and it doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate all the feelings of all of our staff and all of our students and all of our families, but I do think it’s also unfair to consider or to continue to serve them in a way that is less than equitable,” said board member Stacey Woolley before voting in favor of the proposal.
Further details on what comes next for campuses, students and staff are still to come, Johnson said. The next scheduled board meeting is 5:30 p.m. Nov. 9.
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