2 days ago
Oklahoma school district slashes nearly 360 jobs in ‘streamlining measures'
An Epic Charter Schools sign advertises a location near Interstate 35 north of Oklahoma City. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice)
Epic Charter Schools, one of Oklahoma's largest school districts, announced mass layoffs Tuesday, resulting in 357 job losses.
In a move the district called in a statement, 'significant streamlining measures,' Epic has not renewed contracts for 83 teachers and 274 administrators for the next school year. That accounts for about 6% of teachers and more than one-third of administrators.
It will also close its in-person learning centers in Tulsa and Oklahoma City and discontinue breakfast and lunch services.
Epic Superintendent Bart Banfield said in a statement the school was committed to 'supporting those impacted with compassion and transparency.'
'We are grateful to every member of the Epic team for the passion and care they bring to our community,' Banfield said. 'This transition is about preserving and strengthening our ability to serve students for years to come.'
In an email obtained by StateImpact, staff were told by Epic they would lose access to Epic systems and facilities 'shortly,' and benefits, including healthcare, which will terminate at the end of the month. Staff are also required to return all Epic property before June 9.
In another staff email obtained by StateImpact, Epic said it would discontinue its Chinese and Latin course offerings and outsource and charge students $275 for German and French courses unless they have completed German I or French I during the previous school year.
Epic also announced in the email students will no longer have access to one free concurrent college course. Going forward, students must purchase all courses through the Learning Fund, which is a $1,000 allocation Epic provides for each student.
English language arts (ELA) and math are also affected. Epic's ELA+ will be discontinued, and Math+ will only be offered to students in grades 6-12 rather than 3-12. The courses provide live, virtual instruction to students two to three times a week.
AP courses will also now be outsourced, and students' Learning Fund will be charged $100 for 'specialty' courses.
The move follows cuts in October of nearly 150 Epic employees. At the time, Epic said it had overestimated the number of students who would enroll by about 4,000.
This article was originally published by StateImpact Oklahoma. StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership of Oklahoma's public radio stations which relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond.
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