Tulsa proposal would close 14 school buildings

From The Tulsa World: Tulsa (Okla.) School Superintendent Keith Ballard is proposing to close 14 school buildings, retain sixth-graders in all but a handful of the city's elementary schools and have three high schools accommodate grades 7 to 12. If approved by the school board, the plan would save the district about $5 million annually and eliminate 6,000 of the district's 10,000 empty seats. The 14 buildings recommended for closure are home to 10 elementary schools, two middle schools and two alternative education schools. In addition, students at eight other schools will be reassigned to other sites so those buildings can be converted for other uses. MARCH 2011...from The Tulsa World: An efficiency study in the Tulsa (Okla.) school district calls for as many as 17 school buildings to be shuttered and grade configurations in dozens of remaining schools to be shaken up. Through closures and consolidation, the proposals would eliminate anywhere from 5,900 to 7,900 empty seats and save the district $6.1 million to $9.5 million annually.