As Cuts Continue, Bixby Parents Plan To Get Answers At Capitol

Continued cuts in education funding are lighting a fire in Bixby teachers and parents to figure out a solution.

One plan they have is for parents to take their concerns directly to the capitol.

For three years, Bixby Public Schools has seen cuts, but their third annual legislative night could be the most important one yet.

"We have to be very aware of the cuts that are coming to our schools," Superintendent Kyle Wood said.

This year, Bixby Public Schools will see over $600,000 cut from the budget. Next year, that jumps to an estimated $1.7 million.

During the meeting, Wood said, since the school must pay supply costs - like electricity and gas - the first cuts could include administrators, teachers, bus drivers and resource officers.

Wood said, "We have three school resource officers, for example, in the school district. It’s our hope that we'll be able to keep all three for next year. We're not going to have fewer students and we’re not gonna have a fewer number of schools, we're just going to have less money, so the need for security is still here."

They also presented a plan called ‘Spartans at the Capitol.’

"Spartans at the Capitol is the first event of its type that we know of, in Oklahoma. And the powerful thing is that we’re hoping that parents will make a big impact at the capitol," said teacher Jessica Jernegan.

Under the new initiative, for the next six Tuesdays, teachers and parents will travel to the capitol to get answers from state leaders concerning education funding.

Following Thursday’s meeting, parents were able to sign up for the Spartans at the Capitol initiative.

If you missed it, you can contact the Bixby Education Association. The first capitol visit is next Tuesday.