Tulsa students coming up with ways of saving money

Thursday, January 9th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

School superintendents from across Oklahoma are trying to figure out a way to run schools on less money. Some Tulsa high school students are putting their heads together to find ways to raise cash for classes.

News on Six anchor Scott Thompson says the state budget crisis is not just about numbers. It's about faces, the faces of the students who feel the pinch every time school administrators trim the budget.

Rogers High School student Katie Klense, "Well it makes me feel like nobody cares because they took everything away and we have no buses nothing." That's why these students have formed a committee called SUPER, students united to pursue educational resources.

The idea behind the committee is simple when budget cuts come its the students who are most affected so why not let them come up with ways of raising cash. The ideas have ranged from the whimsical to the practical. Kristen Holmes: "we could use like seniors that wanted to get volunteer hours as substitutes in public elementarys."

East Central High School student Anita Adams, "I think that we have come up with a lot of goals that we can all reach with the individual schools as well as tie the community into it to make the money we need." Although some of their possible fundraisers are ideas only students could come up with.

These students are serious about their goal. First on their list, making sure TPS can match the Zarrow challenge grant. And they're eager to get their peers involved. TSST student, Jarell Ball, â€œit affects them whether they know it or not it affects them because they go to school every single day.â€

Tulsa Philanthropist Henry Zarrow put up a one million dollar challenge grant in November. If Tulsa Public Schools can raise one million dollars, he says he'll match it.

So far, TPS has raised $570,000.