Tulsa Public Schools To Clear Up Consolidation Confusion

Ashli Sims, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- Tulsa parents will find out how the district's historic overhaul will affect them this week. Tulsa Public Schools will be flooding mailboxes in a matter of days to clear up the consolidation confusion.

See the final consolidation plan

Since the final consolidation plan was announced, the district has fielded questions on the phone and through email. This week, parents will get some answers.

The district is preparing 41,000 letters to go home to every single student. The vast majority of them, more than 80 percent, will say children will remain where they are.

Read a sample letter to parents who's child is not affected by district consolidation

But about 7,000 students will get a letter because their school is closing or their school boundary has shifted. Those letters will include their new neighborhood school assignments.

Read a sample letter to parents who child's school is closing

Read a sample letter to parents affected by new school boundaries

Tulsa Public Schools estimates about 1,300 students will fall into a third category: those are students who have transferred to a school that won't have space for them next year.

Read a sample letter to parents who's child's transfer has been rescinded

Parents have from May 17th to June 17th to apply for a district transfer, but the district will have fewer slots available for transfers now that the district has fewer schools.

Just as students are learning their school fates, so will principals. We should know by the end of the week which principals are in which buildings, and which might not have a job next year.

The district is also starting the process of reassigning teachers from schools that have been closed. Teachers will get to rank their preferred schools and will find out their new assignments by the end of this month.

5/6/2011 Related Story: Tulsa Public School Board Approves New Attendance Boundaries

So what's going to happen to schools like Barnard that will close at the end of the year? That's a matter the Tulsa City Council wants to talk over with district leaders Tuesday morning.  News On 6 will have that story Tuesday at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.