Starting Tulsa Schools in September has and will save the district money

The late start for Tulsa Public Schools last fall, proved to be a cost-saving success, one they hope to repeat next year. <br><br>News on 6 anchor Terry Hood says Tulsa Public School students will head

Wednesday, February 19th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

The late start for Tulsa Public Schools last fall, proved to be a cost-saving success, one they hope to repeat next year.

News on 6 anchor Terry Hood says Tulsa Public School students will head back to school after Labor Day again next year. It's not to give students a longer summer, but to give the district more money.

School leaders say the late start contributed to an estimated half a million dollars in savings during the first six months of this school year. And that's not all. Between the district's late start and other energy conservation measures, like turning off lights in empty classrooms and keeping the temperature at 68, the district estimates it saved a total $1.5-million.

These are only projections; the true savings won't be realized until the end of the year. Several Oklahoma City districts have also decided to start late, but most of the other districts in this area will not.

Tulsa's first day of school will be September 2nd.