Latest news with #EpicCharterSchools
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
More questions, calls for accountability after Epic superintendent resigns
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Less than a week after layoffs left Epic Charter Schools educators stunned, the district's longtime superintendent has resigned—leading to more questions and renewed calls for week, News 4 reported Epic laid off more than 350 employees, including nearly 100 teachers and all the district's principals—without giving remaining educators a game plan. 'We have not been told any information,' one teacher told News 4. 'How do you have a school without a principal?'Now, the person whose job it would be to come up with that game plan has thrown in the superintendent and CEO Bart Banfield resigned on been with the charter district since 2014, becoming superintendent in led the school through a massive scandal when a grand jury indicted its three founders in 2022, accusing them of embezzling millions in taxpayer dollars from the was also at the helm during a round of teacher layoffs in October, blamed on declining post-COVID Monday, News 4 uncovered Epic payroll records showing, as enrollment went down, Banfield's yearly pay went up—from $276,885 in 2022 to $329,381 by teachers spared in last week's layoffs told News 4 Epic made them sign agreements to cut their base pay by one-third or lose their jobs.'Everything felt like maybe a little bit disingenuous because it felt more like we are a machine than we are a public school system,' one teacher who lost their jobs felt blindsided.'We just had our graduation ceremonies last weekend. There was no word then about anything like this,' a laid-off employee Sen. Carri Hicks (D-Oklahoma City) said she isn't sure something so out-of-the-blue would have been allowed to happen if Epic were a traditional public school district.'It's a charter school,' Hicks said. 'They don't have a publicly elected school board that is really vetting these decisions. Their response, to be accountable to the public is very different than a traditional public school.'Former State Rep. Mark McBride, who chaired the House Education Committee when Epic's founders were indicted in 2022, sees a lot of parallels in the district's new issues.'It's the same—it's the same problem of managing money,' McBride said. 'I'll still always question whether this is a viable charter school for the state, because it seems like there's always something following them around from the beginning.'Hicks sees a potential solution.'When we look at states like North Carolina and other states across the country, they have very different models set up that would help prevent and protect the public from the actions that we're currently seeing from Epic Charter Schools,' Hicks said the power to get there lies solely with lawmakers.'I think it's time to really look at some significant changes that would actually bring a stronger voice to the public and make sure that all charter schools are accountable to the public,' Hicks 4 reached out to the president of the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board, which oversees Epic, to ask if he or the board had any thoughts on Banfield's 4 did not hear back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- 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.
