Tulsa Public Schools will eliminate 90 jobs as part of a plan to make up for a looming $20 million budget shortfall.

The Tulsa School Board followed the recommendation of Superintendent Deborah Gist’s reorganization plan by a 5-1 vote. Board member Jennettie Marshall voted no.

The district will eliminate 232 jobs in the district office while creating 142 new ones for a net loss of 90 jobs. Some of the jobs that will be lost pay more than $100,000 a year and a handful of the new jobs will pay more than $100,000 a year.

TPS will drop 64 custodial jobs but will create 79 janitorial positions. Instead of a 12-month contract, the new jobs will have 2l0-day contracts with a pay drop of almost $6,000. TPS will eliminate 30 vacant bus driver spots and six vacant bus assistant jobs.

Gist and other TPS administrators are blaming the Legislature for not funding their district properly. In the past two sessions, the Republican-led Legislature has given all state public school teachers two raises and increased the state money given to education.

TPS and other public schools also get funding from the federal government, property taxes and private donations (including non-profit foundations).

Gist has complained about unfunded state education mandates. She said her latest plan should work for at least two more years.

Following Gist’s leadership, the TPS Board has approved:

• Closing four elementary schools (Mark Twain, Jones, Wright and Grimes) after this semester.
• Increasing elementary class sizes
• Personnel cuts (not including teacher layoffs).