Tulsa Schools' task force looking at consolidation to save money

The budget shortfall is making it necessary for schools to account for every dollar. That's why Tulsa Public Schools created a consolidation task force. <br><br>News on Six anchor Terry Hood says

Tuesday, December 17th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

The budget shortfall is making it necessary for schools to account for every dollar. That's why Tulsa Public Schools created a consolidation task force.

News on Six anchor Terry Hood says the task force is trying to make sure Tulsa Schools are using space efficiently. But officials say itâ€™s too early to say whether or not schools will be closed.

Webster High School is one of the smaller high schools in the district. That's why the task force is looking at whether combining Webster with an overcrowded middle school could save money. But that's just one example of the work the task force is doing. They're looking at all Tulsa schools to see which ones are overcrowded or underused.

Organizers say its just part of making sure the district matches the growth of Tulsa as a city. But that doesn't mean any schools will be closed any time soon. Tulsa Public Schools Deputy Superintendent, Bill Johnson, "we need to look at where the growth is taking place and how the population is shifting in order to be able to do what we need to do."

The 35-member task force has only met twice, and won't make any recommendations to the district for another three months.

Any recommendations made would need to be approved by the school board.