Henryetta teachers will be in Oklahoma City next week and the classrooms empty as the battle for school funding continues.
School board members agreed to cancel classes from April 2 through April 9. The board will look at the situation at the regularly scheduled April 9 board meeting and make adjustments at that time.
“The situation in Oklahoma City is fluid,” said superintendent Dwayne Noble. “Hopefully things get funded and we can get back to business.”
“I say if we walk, we walk,” said board member and retired teacher Jeannie Duncan. “This is a bandaid,” she continued talking about the bill signed by Gov. Mary Fallin about an hour before the special board meeting Thursday afternoon. “This not what we asked for. We may make the legislature mad but they made us mad.”
“When will we get this opportunity again,” asked board member Casey Jones. He was referring to the combined support of the teacher walk out by a number of school boards and administrative personnel around the state. “When will all these groups come together again? We have to force their (legislature) hand.”
He said he is agreeable to setting a date to come back and talk about the situation but opposed setting a date for students to come back to school. “I’m willing to come back every five or six days to talk about it. Setting a date to start back is the weak way out.”
A big effect on students during the month is the annual testing schedule.
Noble said ACT testing is scheduled April 3 and asked the juniors in the district to return to the classrooms next Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to take those tests.
Athletics and extra-curricular programs will be following their regular schedule.
An emergency plan to feed students will start Monday with the Henryetta First Baptist and First United Methodist churches providing meals from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
In the event an agreement is reached with the legislators and teachers next week, school officials will be notifying parents about the changes through the all-call phone system as well as on the school Facebook page and web page.
Nearly 30 teachers and supporters packed the board office meeting room.