Budget Crunch Challenges Muskogee School For The Blind

By Craig Day, The News On 6

MUSKOGEE, OK -- The economy in crisis is having a huge impact on Oklahoma schools as the budget shortfall has led to across the board cuts for all state agencies. That means some tough choices for schools across the state that are getting a lot less money.

The School for the Blind in Muskogee is losing $30,000 each month.

Kids from all over Oklahoma travel to Muskogee each week to go to school at the School for the Blind, which is also called Parkview. It's a special place with a special mission.

"The people that work here have a passion for what we do," said Karen Kizzia, School Superintendent.

Like all schools across Oklahoma, Parkview is being impacted by the state's budget shortfall and the subsequent 5% cut in funding.

"It's expensive. It's expensive to educate students that are visually impaired or blind.  The equipment is sky high, the textbooks are costly," Superintendent Kizzia said.

For the School for the Blind, the drop in funding adds up to $30,000 each month adding up to a projected shortfall of $330,000 to $360,000for the fiscal year.

"We're trying to absorb everything we can.  And economize here, make sure lights are out, make sure that we're doing everything we can at this point in time," Kizzia said.

The school is leaving vacant positions unfilled. They've reduced travel, and summer school will likely be cancelled this year.

"The state's been down this road before, and I've been down this road before, but it's something we have to do, we don't really have an option at this point and time," said Karen Kizzia, Superintendent of the School for the Blind in Muskogee.

Dealing with a 5% cut in state funding is tough enough, but it's even more difficult when you consider the school's expenses are still rising - things like insurance premiums and utility costs.

The school's superintendent hopes the economy rebounds, and the budget situation improves - for the sake of education all across the state and the 93 kids that go to the School for the Blind.

The School for the Deaf in Sulphur in southern Oklahoma is in the same funding dilemma. Cuts amount to $404,000 at that school.