Tulsa Public Schools Parent Lobbies For Education Funding

By Ashli Sims, The News On 6 

TULSA, OK – Worried parents are lobbying their legislators to save education from the budget axe.

A frustrated Tulsa mom says she just couldn't stand by while her children lost great teachers.

According to one parent, Mrs. King is a Tulsa Public Schools standout. The kind of teacher you pray for your student to have.

"Her first grade teacher saw in her her desire to learn," said Mandy Vavrinak, Tulsa Public School Parent. "And really has spent the entire year, building her strengths, challenging her and pushing her to learn and grow."

And Mrs. King is slated to lose her job. But the cuts at Tulsa Public Schools run deeper than that for Mandy Vavrinak and her family.

"And both of my children will be losing teachers that have been instrumental in their success," she said.

Her son is also losing his orchestra teacher at Edison High School.

"And it's tragic," Vavrinak said. "Tragic that those types of teachers will not be returning to Tulsa Public Schools."

It's a tragedy Mandy Vavrinak said she couldn't just sit back and watch happen.

"I fear it will be a dismal disappointing year for them," she said.

So she started an email campaign to a string of Tulsa area lawmakers, telling them her story.

"How sad that we are moving backward in this critical area," she said.

Of the seven state senators and 12 state house members she contacted, only two emailed her back.

"Not thrilled," Vavrinak said. "I'm not thrilled with the response at this point."

Vavrinak says she doesn't understand why lawmakers can't meet their own self imposed deadline of funding education first by April first.

"Failing to address that kind of fundamental issue in a timely fashion is a disservice to everyone, in every district, across the state," she said. "And the lawmakers should be ashamed."