Broken Arrow Public Schools suffer mid-term adjustment budget loss
In the midst of a pandemic, Broken Arrow Schools was dealt a financial blow after winter break when the State Department of Education announced a nearly $7.4 million dollar cut to the budget in a mid-term adjustment released by the department. This loss represents roughly $200.61 per student.
This comes on the heels of the district receiving $6.6 million in CARES Act Stimulus money recently, paling in comparison to neighboring districts that received double and sometimes quadruple the amount of stimulus funding.
“The inequity of this is astounding and discouraging for districts such as Broken Arrow that have done EVERYTHING in our power to maintain choice for families to use virtual options or in-person schooling. We have worked hard to provide a choice for families in which parents and guardians must go to work each day, even in COVID,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Janet Vinson. “We are in desperate need of help in order to avoid a reduction in force for the 2021-2022 school year.”
Many other districts across the state also received drastic cuts to their respective budgets, except for EPIC Charter Schools, which received an enormous increase of more than $155 million for its blended learning and one-on-one charter sites. Further, Broken Arrow students maintained 75 days of in-person learning during the first semester with full bus service the entire time—meaning more expenses for COVID-related issues were incurred.
“COVID has not been a bigger burden on districts of poverty, but instead has been a burden we all share. Each of us have had significant additional needs related to COVID, but those districts such as Broken Arrow that have been in person since the beginning of the fall semester carry a significantly higher burden,” said Vinson.
To see the full list of mid-year adjustments to Oklahoma district budgets, visit https://sde.ok.gov/notice-allocation.