The Tulsa Public Schools board approves a buyout plan targeting the district’s administrative staff.
TPS Chief Human Capital Officer Talia Shaull said it’s an attempt to deal with an anticipated $7 to $20 million budget cut next school year without affecting classrooms.
"At the higher end of that range, the $20 million range, we really can't guarantee that it won't affect schools, because you can only go so far in administrative costs before you start affecting the larger numbers, which are usually schools," Shaull said.
These buyouts aren't for teachers.
"These are non-school based positions, so it covers a wide variety of administrators both at the central office level as well as executive level," Shaull said.
The TPS Employee Attrition Plan is proposed for full-time administrative and leadership staff with at least five years service. There's no estimate right now of how much money the administrative buyouts might save.
"It'll depend on the number of positions that we're able to absorb as well as any other savings that we may be able to realize by making other cuts," Shaull said.
Anyone accepting a potential buyout offer would have to resign by April 15. Retirement-eligible teachers may be offered a different incentive to retire by the end of the current school year.
