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Tulsa school plan targets 17 campuses for closure starting in 2027
Tulsa Public Schools approved a plan to close or consolidate 17 school sites after the 2026-27 school year. The changes are projected to save $11.1 million, while the superintendent was also directed to find another $1.5 million in savings.
Tulsa Public Schools’ board voted Oct. 20 to approve a plan closing or consolidating 17 school sites after the 2026-27 school year, with affected students slated to attend receiving schools beginning in fall 2027.
The plan projects $11.1 million in savings: $8.5 million through staffing reductions and $2.6 million in lower operating costs. The board also directed the superintendent to develop a separate plan for another $1.5 million in savings during the coming fiscal year, through measures including attrition, lower non-salary spending and moving eligible expenses out of the general fund.
The sites slated to close are Anderson, Bell, Dolores Huerta, Greenwood Leadership Academy, Hoover, Kerr, Key, Marshall, Mitchell, Peary, Robertson, Sequoyah, Springdale and Unity Learning Academy, along with Central Middle School, Thoreau Demonstration Academy and Tulsa MET Middle and High School.
Students from the elementary schools would be reassigned among receiving campuses that include Hawthorne, Whitman, MacArthur, McKinley, Skelly, Disney, Wayman Tisdale Fine Arts Academy, Burroughs, John Hope Franklin, Lewis and Clark, Cooper, Hamilton, Salk, Carnegie, McClure, Clinton West, Kendall-Whittier, Owen and Celia Clinton. Students from Sequoyah and Springdale who currently attend the dual-language program would have preference to continue at Felicitas Mendez International School.
The plan also calls for Felicitas Mendez to move into the Anderson building. The Greenwood Leadership Academy building would continue to house the SOAR Academy, while Central High School would become a Polytechnic High School. Thoreau’s site would be repurposed for district use. Students from Thoreau and Tulsa MET would return to their home schools or use the district’s School Enrollment Window for the 2027-28 year.
The superintendent’s recommendations say the changes do not include raising maximum student-to-teacher ratios, disrupting special education or multilingual learner services, or freezing employee salaries. They do include a hiring freeze, with exceptions for certain positions.
The closures and reassignment plan would take effect as the district pursues longer-term financial sustainability. The separate $1.5 million savings plan is to be developed for board consideration where approval is required.