Oklahoma City Schools to Lay Off Hundreds

As a result of $17 million in budget cuts, nearly 200 public school teachers, principals and administrative employees in Oklahoma City will be laid off over the summer. “It’s heartbreaking,” said Oklahoma Public Schools Superintendent Karl Springer, “to have to tell somebody who’s a teacher that we don’t have a position for you.”

In all, 111 teachers, 20 principals and counselors, and 50 administrative staff are currently scheduled to receive pink slips. Services such as school bus routes will also be cut back and three elementary schools will be closed.

The cuts will cause class sizes to increase by an average of two or three students, but the district will remain under state-mandated maximum class sizes.