Dr. Ballard's Message 9/21/09
This past week was interesting and eventful. The first issue we dealt with was security at football games. As we wrestled with that issue it became very clear we need to think about security from a more global perspective, including all extra-curricular activities throughout the entire year. We are frankly deficient in several areas, and now is the time to address them.
Our changes include:
- We will employ strong screening and security at the entry points of each sporting event, with security including campus and Tulsa police and site administrators.
- All high school students will be required to provide a valid, current school ID to purchase tickets.
- Adults should also be prepared to provide a valid, current, government-issued ID.
- Non-high school students must be accompanied by a responsible adult required to stay with the child during the game.
- All spectators must remain in the bleachers during the games.
- Entry gates will close at the start of the third quarter. No one is allowed to enter the event after halftime.
The Board of Education just approved an increase in ticket prices for high school football and basketball games from $5 to $6 in order to pay for added security. At the time of this writing, we are awaiting board approval on the surcharge. I believe the issue of security requires a very measured approach. Some people suggested moving football games to Saturday, and others have advised pre-selling tickets. Although I am not opposed to either of these suggestions—or other suggestions for that matter—it seems to me we need a circumspect approach here. Let’s see if these measures work and then we can take further action if we need to.
The other issue that has commanded our time and attention is the budget. State collections are down considerably from last year and since by law Oklahoma must have a balanced budget, cuts must be enacted during the year. That is very difficult for schools as we are given our budgets in July and have to believe it will be the final budget. Eighty-three percent of our budget goes to personnel so there is very little flexibility when making cuts, and we have to use the remaining 17 percent of our money to provide supplies, pay utilities, transport students and meet other vital needs. I could go on and on about the difficulty in dealing with cuts once the year has started, but I think everyone recognizes the extent of the problem.
Our budget was cut by $220,000 in August, and early last week we were notified the next cut would be nearly $500,000. We were led to believe the five percent in budget reductions would continue until the economy recovered and collections improved. We held a press conference last week and fully disclosed what we knew at the time and warned of serious repercussions if the cuts continued. To our surprise, Oklahoma State Treasurer Scott Meacham told the news media Friday that cuts would be held to under two percent because of federal stimulus funds. Agreements have been signed stipulating that if the state uses stimulus dollars to close budget gaps, school budgets cannot be given less state funding than they have received in past years. That is where some of the confusion lies—there is conflicting information as to which “past year.” While we do not know exactly what the cuts will be, we now understand they will not run to the very deep levels we initially feared. At the moment, except for a hiring freeze, no personnel cuts are being considered. Regardless of the level of funding, our mission is to provide quality learning experiences to every student, every day, without exception. We will do all we can to preserve the flow of funds to the classroom.
I don’t like for a crisis to hang over our heads as we begin an exciting school year. All school personnel—especially teachers—need to be able to fully concentrate on the classroom. I will do my very best to manage the situation so that those involved with students and the classroom can put all their energy into that important task. As always, I will keep you apprised of the budget picture as it continues to develop.
