Sand Springs Superintendent: Bus Routes Could Be On Chopping Block

State budget cuts have Oklahoma school districts facing a financial crisis, forcing educators to choose what programs stay and what must go.

Sand Springs students seemed care-free as they jumped off the bus and waved to our cameras, but a few blocks away, district administrators spent their day tasked with a job no one ever wants - coming up with a list of cuts.

“Do we reduce the arts? Do we reduce counseling? Do we reduce the sports programs? We're all gonna be impacted,” Superintendent Lloyd Snow said.

1/18/2016 Related Story: Superintendent: Budget Cuts ‘Worst Financial Crisis To OK Schools In Decades’

He’s calling it the ‘Menu of Misery.’

“My humble opinion is, it's mostly miserable circumstances and not what I think the average citizen wants from their local school district,” he said.

Snow said Sand Springs could lose close to half a million dollars in state funding just this semester, but he's bracing for even bigger cuts next year.

Snow said that means jobs will be lost, class sizes could skyrocket and some programs, classes and extracurricular activities will have to go in order to meet payroll.

Michele Saner's two children are fourth generation Sandites. She said neither students nor teachers can handle any more cuts.

“What is there left to cut,” she asked.

She's not upset with the schools, but the state.

Saner said, “We have to find a solution. What we've been doing isn't working anymore. I don't know where that solution comes from, but we have to find some ways to make up these deficits and find new ways to bring funding in.”

Snow said even school buses aren't safe. With less money the district may have to split transportation in half, charge bus fees or, the worst case scenario, eliminate school bus transportation altogether.

Snow hopes that doesn’t have to happen.

“Do want to really reduce all those services to our children at a time whenever they need more, not less. We do more with less and have been doing that for the last several years. We can do better. We must do better,” Snow said. “I'm hopeful that the legislature will have the courage when they start in a couple of weeks to do the things that need to be done.”

Until lawmakers make changes, Snow said he wants parents to be involved and wants their input on the ‘Menu of Misery.’

The district will hold a meeting in the high school cafeteria Thursday night at 6:30.