The Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously to require the superintendent to present a plan for at least $12 million in operating budget reductions by the board's Oct. 19 meeting. The resolution, reported by the Oklahoma Eagle, states that the board recognizes that responsible fiscal governance requires difficult choices when expenditures and recurring revenues are structurally misaligned. Cost-saving measures are expected to begin in January and be completed by the end of the following school year.
The district has already cut $5.4 million in vendor contracts and nearly 100 central office positions and found an additional $1.7 million in department savings, according to NewsOn6. But those steps have not resolved the underlying structural deficit driven by steadily declining enrollment. TPS enrollment stood at about 32,450 students as of October 2025, while the district maintains infrastructure built for more than 45,000. Enrollment has dropped by roughly 1.6 percent each year, and most state funding follows student counts.
The data behind the deficit
Twenty-five of the district's 45 elementary schools are operating at or below 60 percent capacity, according to KRMG. A district enrollment analysis cited by Hoodline found that 12 neighborhood elementary schools are below 50 percent capacity, while most magnet schools fill 84 percent or more of their space. The uneven utilization means consolidations would not affect all communities equally.
The Tulsa Flyer reported that approximately 90 percent of TPS's general fund spending goes to salaries and benefits. The district employs nearly 147 full-time employees per 1,000 students, while comparable districts all have fewer than 136. That staffing level, combined with small elementary schools averaging around 370 students, drives higher per-pupil costs. Deputy Superintendent Kathy Dodd indicated to the board that among the options under consideration, school closures would likely generate the greatest savings, though she acknowledged the difficulty of such decisions for the community.
TPS's fund balance, the carry-over reserve used to cover expenses before revenue arrives, is projected to drop below $48 million—the minimum needed to cover core costs—as soon as 2028 if current spending continues, according to the Oklahoma Eagle. The district expects a $13 million shortfall to the fund balance this fiscal year and next.
Past closures in Tulsa
This is not the first time TPS has faced an enrollment-driven consolidation. In 2011, under Superintendent Keith Ballard, the district closed 14 buildings through a process called "Project Schoolhouse," saving about $5 million annually, the Tulsa Flyer reported. Enrollment peaked at roughly 85,000 students in 1968 and has fallen steadily since.
In 2017, under former Superintendent Deborah Gist, TPS closed schools on the west side, citing Webster High School's projected enrollment of only 372 students by 2026-27 against a campus designed for 930. Webster currently has 382 students, or 761 when middle schoolers are included, according to the Tulsa Flyer. By 2020, the district had merged or closed nine schools on the north side.
The decision ahead
At the board's September 8 meeting, administrators presented a range of cost-reduction options without providing specific dollar estimates, the Tulsa Flyer reported. Options included closing and consolidating small schools, increasing class sizes, freezing all employee salaries, reducing access to counseling and tutoring, cutting field trips, athletics, and fine arts, and discontinuing transportation to magnet programs or increasing the elementary walking radius from 1.5 miles.
A third-party staffing analysis by Baker Tilly, dated March and obtained via open records request, recommended that TPS pursue school closures or consolidations and estimated that closing three to five schools could save several million dollars per year, according to the Tulsa Flyer. The report predicted an average annual general fund shortfall of $28 million if no changes are made.
The board has scheduled community information meetings from September 29 through October 14 at five Tulsa-area library locations to gather public input before the Oct. 19 deadline. The district's chief financial officer is also expected to present an end-of-year financial update and enrollment projections at a board meeting later in September, the Tulsa Flyer reported.