OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister says some school districts could be forced to close as a result of mid-year cuts to public schools of about 3 percent resulting from a state revenue failure.
The first-term Republican discussed the implications Thursday after the State Board of Education voted unanimously to accept a reduction in funding of about $47 million for the fiscal year ending June 30.
Rather than impose across-the-board cuts to schools, Hofmeister says the revised budget imposes steeper cuts to specific programs in order to cushion the reduction in funding that goes to schools through the per-student formula.
Deeper cuts went to school lunch programs and professional development opportunities for teachers. Hofmeister says more reductions could be announced in the spring.