Latest news with #AndyFugate
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
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. Norman Regional Health System lays off 10% of workforce 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 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahomans rally at State Capitol to fight for science research amid funding cuts
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Dozens gathered at the Oklahoma State Capitol for a 'Stand Up for Science' rally. Lawmakers in attendance urged the crowd to take action. 'My first message is to get angry,' said Democratic Representative Jacob Rosecrants (D-Norman). 'Science matters. Let's just start with that,' said Democratic Representative Andy Fugate. The rally was held in conjunction with others nationwide, sounding the alarm about a slash in funding by the Trump administration for science research. Leases for three federal facilities in Oklahoma spared from DOGE cuts, Congressman Cole says Oklahoma is no stranger to severe weather, which is why some protestors came to make their voices heard. 'I have so many friends and loved ones who are in the weather service, who are currently looking at losing their jobs,' said Nicole Giuliano. Other families showed up to fight for medical research grants. 'My daughter Thora is seven years old and she has mitochondrial diseasethat was not even discovered till five, ten years ago and there's no cure for it,' said Rob Ramer. According to a Washington Post report, the cuts are not just financial. The U.S. National Science Foundation is omitting certain words from grant applications and research projects that don't align with the President's executive orders. Flagged words include minority, women, male dominated, exclusion, gender, and ethnicity. 'Any time we squelch speech, we run the risk of running afoul of the First Amendment,' said Rep. Fugate. Another scientist at the rally believes there's a much bigger agenda. 'Whenever a fascist movement takes over, one of the first things they do is they attack educated people,' said Nick Brooke. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State lawmaker wants new requirements to run for State Superintendent
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – A state lawmaker is advocating for a new set of requirements for Oklahomans running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Rep. Andy Fugate (D-Del City) authored HJR1008, which would require an amendment to the state constitution to go into effect. 'This is not a partisan issue,' said Fugate. 'What we're talking about here is the quality of education and educational leadership in the State of Oklahoma.' OSDE makes more than a dozen budget requests to lawmakers, including $3 million for Bibles Fugate said his inspiration boils down to the fact that the Superintendent of Public Instruction is responsible for administering education law and that it's a critical point in Oklahoma to have someone elected who understands what education law says. 'It's also important that we have somebody who chooses to abide by the law,' said Fugate. 'But as a baseline, we ought to have people in that position who understand what the law is and how it is to be applied.' The gist of the resolution, which Fugate calls a foundational piece for improving educational outcomes, would see two big requirements. One requirement would make candidates complete their public school administrator certification. The second would require them to prove that they have been actively applying that knowledge through leadership. 'Requires them to have five years experience applying the law so that we have an opportunity to see how they have done in that position,' said Fugate. That five years of experience could be either as a public school principal or superintendent. 'While we have some amazing teachers in the state of Oklahoma, amazing teaching doesn't translate into understanding what the law says, and to me, that's the important part,' said Fugate. 'You need leadership, but you also need understanding of the principles and what the law says to apply those things correctly in your leadership of education in Oklahoma.' Fugate says the resolution has currently been referred to the House Rules Committee for further review before it is brought to the floor for debate. News 4 asked Fugate about concerns that some of the general public may view the resolution as an attack on current State Superintendent Ryan Walters. 'It's not,' said Fugate. 'It doesn't take effect until 2030, which even if he were to stand for reelection, he would be out of office at that point. So this is a, let's move forward, let's learn from what we have seen and make good decisions in the future.' News 4 reached out to a spokesperson for Superintendent Walters on Friday for comment but did not hear back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
