Hundreds of teachers, administrative staff laid off from Epic Charter Schools
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Epic Charter Schools has laid off hundreds of employees.
Now, former employees say they found out with no warning at all.
'I just received an email stating that my contract was not going to be renewed for the upcoming school year. They gave no reason whatsoever, no warning, and then literally within minutes my computer was deactivated,' said a former employee.
Epic Charter Schools says a total of 357 employees were not renewed for the 2025-2026 school year:
83 Teachers
274 Administrative Staff
'My first initial reaction was just overwhelming sadness because I love the students and I love the people and I love the teachers, and then I was just mad, I was mad because these are people's lives at stake, like a warning would have been just courteous,' said a former employee.
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The former employee says that they will not be getting severance pay, but will be paid through the end of June.
'To my understanding, it was a lot of us that were let go due to mismanaging funds,' said a former employee.
Epic says the layoffs were necessary to ensure long-term suitability
Starting in the 2025-26 school year, Epic will phase out its Learning Center model, no longer offering full-day in-person instruction Monday through Friday. Meal services for breakfast and lunch will also no longer be provided.
News 4 reported on other layoffs and pay cuts in the fall due to a financial shortfall from lower-than-expected enrollment.
'It's just a tragic reality and sadly, it's something that I predicted four years ago now when we changed the school funding formula,' said Rep. Andy Fugate (D-Del City).
In 2021, public schools relied on the most recent enrollment numbers to work up their budgets. Rep. Fugate says Epic used numbers that were inflated due to COVID-19.
'You know, the model itself, charter schools in general here in Oklahoma can be fly-by-night school learning environments. There's nothing that says they have to remain in business,' said Rep. Fugate.
Epic Charter Schools says enrollment is open for next school year.
Last year, they saw a little over 30,000 students; during COVID-19, it was about 60,000.
News 4 stopped by Epic Charter Schools today, but nobody was there.
A statement was sent to News 4 a few hours later.
As we prepare for the 2025–2026 school year, Epic Charter Schools remains committed to our mission of serving 30,000 students and families across Oklahoma. In order to continue delivering a high-quality educational experience and ensure long-term financial sustainability, our leadership team, working closely with our new Chief Financial Officer, has undertaken a thorough review of all areas of our organization.
As a result of this evaluation, it has become necessary to implement significant streamlining measures. This process includes the difficult decision to adjust certain positions within the organization. These changes are not made lightly, but they are essential to align our resources with our educational priorities and to ensure Epic's continued success in serving our students and families.
Starting in the 2025-26 school year, Epic Charter Schools will offer our two most popular models: the Epic One-on-one model and Comet Academy model. As we phase out the Learning Center model, we're excited to give our Learning Center families priority in the Comet Academy model, which has a similar face-to-face structure.
This will help to serve more students and eliminate the waiting list at Epic's largest facilities in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. This change will open up additional space for Epic teachers to book in-person meetings for One-on-one, Comet Academy and clubs.
We will no longer offer full-day in-person instruction Monday through Friday. Meal services for breakfast and lunch will no longer be provided.
'We are grateful to every member of the Epic team for the passion and care they bring to our community,' said Superintendent Bart Banfield. 'This transition is about preserving and strengthening our ability to serve students for years to come. We are committed to supporting those impacted with compassion and transparency.'
A total of 357 Epic employees were not renewed for the 2025-2026 school year:
83 Teachers of 1,401 (5.92%)
274 Administrative Staff of 732 (37.43%)
Enrollment is currently open for the 2025-2026 school year.
Founded in 2011, Epic Charter Schools is Oklahoma's largest public virtual charter school – and among the largest of its kind in the U.S. – serving approximately 30,000 students from PreK-12th grade in all 77 counties statewide.
Epic Charter Schools
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