The Tulsa Public Schools board voted 6-1 Monday, Oct. 19, to close or consolidate 17 schools, a decision that will uproot more than 4,700 students starting with the 2027-28 school year.

Board member Calvin Moniz cast the lone vote against the plan, which the district says will save $11.1 million from school closures and another $1.5 million in central office cuts. The savings come largely from staffing reductions, as reported by The Oklahoma Eagle.

The closures eliminate roughly 10,000 seats across the district. District leaders unveiled the plan four weeks before the vote.

"They didn't hear us," Kerr Elementary health aide Jennifer Jones said after the vote, wiping away tears.

Schools on the list

These campuses will close at the end of the school year: Anderson, Bell, Dolores Huerta, Hoover, Kerr, Key, Marshall, Mitchell, Peary, Robertson, Sequoyah and Springdale elementary schools, along with Greenwood Leadership Academy, Thoreau Demonstration Academy, Unity Learning Academy, Central Middle, and Tulsa MET Middle and High.

Fourteen are elementary schools. Two are middle schools. Tulsa MET serves both middle and high school students. Students will move to designated receiving schools or pursue enrollment options specified in the plan.

Community pushback fell short

Nearly 30 people signed up for public comment at the packed Oct. 19 meeting. Many urged the board to delay.

Mitchell Elementary teacher Eileen Jackson asked the board for one year to increase enrollment, strengthen programming and set measurable goals before making the closure final. Sequoyah and Springdale elementary families proposed consolidating their two campuses instead of closing both.

State Rep. Michelle McCane, D-Tulsa, a former TPS teacher, told board members the district had broken community trust. She called on the board to table the vote.

About 715 people attended district community sessions and 2,202 responded to a TPS survey before the vote, according to the Eagle. Schools organized protests and petitions. The board made no changes to the plan before voting.

Why Moniz voted no

Moniz said the proposal was the most plausible financial solution available but questioned whether the district could execute it alongside existing bond commitments and daily operations. He said he lacked confidence that the district's systems and coordination could carry out the plan in the best interest of students.

The financial picture

TPS enrollment has declined for decades. For the 2026-27 school year, estimated enrollment fell to slightly more than 31,600 students, according to the Eagle. Chief Financial Officer Kristen Stephens said projected declines would push six more elementary schools below 60% capacity within two years, threatening state funding.

Without cuts, administrators said the district's fund balance would be drained by fall 2028, leaving TPS unable to pay employees.

Superintendent Ebony Johnson, speaking before the vote, asked families to stay with the district. The bulk of the $8.5 million in staffing savings is expected to come through attrition. TPS expects to achieve much of the staffing reduction through attrition and reassignment, while continuing to hire teachers.

What families need to know

Transportation details for reassigned students will not be available until after the district's enrollment period in early 2027. Students receiving special education services will continue to receive transportation required by their IEPs, according to the Tulsa Flyer.

TPS has assembled a pre-transition support team of about a dozen staff from academics, operations and facilities to help students and employees at both closing and receiving schools, district spokeswoman Caroline Crouch said.

The next scheduled board meeting is 5:30 p.m. Nov. 9.