Oktaha Schools Switch To 4-Day Weeks For Rest Of Year

The Oktaha School District is switching to a four-day week beginning next week in order to save money.

Superintendent Jerry Needham sent a letter to parents about the switch on Thursday, saying the move was forced by state cuts to education funding.

The district had built up snow days and extra time with longer school days, so it decided to move to four-day weeks for the rest of this school year to save money. Needham said the district will ask parents at the end of this school year if they support using the same schedule for all of the 2016-2017 school year. 

Needham said all ideas for saving money will be considered for the district in Muskogee County which has 740 students from pre-K through 12th grade.

Here's the letter Needham sent to parents: 

Beginning Friday, March 4, 2016 Oktaha School will be dismissed each Friday through the end of school on May 20, 2016.

As news media has reported state school budgets have been reduced this school year by 3% with an additional 3% cut expected before the end of the school year.  This translates to $100,000 for Oktaha School district. Worse news is the State of Oklahoma has declared a revenue failure in the amount of $1.3 billion.  This means that public schools in Oklahoma will be cut for next year.  The exact amount of cut for next year is unknown. Estimates range from $240,000 to $360,000 reduction in funds to Oktaha School District for next school year (2016-2017).  Total reduction for Oktaha this school year and next will be between $340,000 and $460,000.

We have released 11 full time support personnel since Christmas.  We have reduced administrator pay by 5%, we have reduced coaching extra duty pay by 5%, we have stopped all purchases of technology and security.  We have reduced the purchases of  materials and supplies to absolute necessity through the end of this school year.  As stated above we will use our built in snow days for a 4 day school week the last 10 weeks of this year.

All of the items named above have a direct effect on the education of your child.  It may be the loss of a teacher assistant in the classroom, to being able to maintain a clean school system or providing transportation.   

As stated by the largest school system in the state today in the Tulsa World, “Everything has to be on the table for consideration” of how to cope with a possible 20 million loss to Tulsa or a $460,000 loss to Oktaha.

As we look to next year and providing the best we can with what we have, I say to you, “everything is on the table”,  Programs, extracurricular activities, personnel, technology, security, materials, supplies, 4 day school week, transportation etc.

We estimate the 4 day school week for an entire school year would save approximately $100,000.  You will be asked for your opinion at the end of this school year on a 4 day school week.  Times would be from 8 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. and the day off would be either Monday or Friday.  Total hours taught would be the same as this school year.

Please call with questions or concerns:

Jerry Needham
Superintendent