INOLA — In a world where Oklahoma schools could be facing loss of accreditation and consolidation despite already massive cuts in support and teachers, Inola looks pretty plum.

Inola Public Schools boosts an Early Childhood Center and an Outdoor Classroom. The buildings are modern, the turf on the football field maintained, and the staff of teachers long-term, dedicated members of the community.

Looking in from the outside, one could conclude that Inola is a financially healthy school district.

In truth, the district is typical of a rural community. The things that make the school wealthy beyond dollars and cents are the result of hard work and personal investment on the part of teachers and members of the community.

The Outdoor Classroom, the brainchild of science teacher Leezann Bell, has been funded through grants and through donated materials and labor from the community and the students themselves.

Inola Pre-K classes are helped by funding from the Cherokee Nation which pays for the required teachers’ aids when there are over 10 students per class. The Early Childhood Center was finished just before funding cuts slammed state schools.

Former superintendent Jake Crutchfield retired as the Center was completed. It could be considered part of his legacy in the community.

Crutchfield followed a superintendent who was indicted for embezzlement of schools funds. Coming into the troubled district, Crutchfield rebuilt the general fund balance over the years, at times carrying over $900,000, about the amount needed for a school Inola’s size.

When Crutchfield left, some of those funds were used to buy furniture for the new Early Childhood Center. There was still a fund balance just under $700,000 and it seemed he was leaving the district in good stead as Dr. Kent Holbrook took over as superintendent in July 2008.

But the 2008-09 school year was about to take a very ugly turn economically.

“You know it’s going to fluctuate, but nobody could see this one coming,” said Holbrook.

He doesn’t  blame the state legislature. The state lost $1.2 billion in revenue in one year. Cuts had to be made.

“Being here in Rogers County, it’s hard to criticize your legislators because they’re both such great guys,” said Holbrook.

He said Sen. Sean Burrage and Rep. Ben Sherrer have been very supportive of Inola Schools and are strongly pro-education. He could not ask for better representation than those two men give to education, he said.

That does not change the fact that for the past two years, the money simply has not been there.

In Holbrook’s estimation, given the size of Inola Schools, the carryover fund balance needs to stay right around $900,000. That may sound like a lot, but the way appropriations come in, by December much of that money is depleted.

In January, ad valorem taxes come in and refill the coffers. And in the case of dire need, that fund balance had better be there.

Holbrook has worked to protect the school’s general fund these past two years, but it hasn’t been easy, and there are more bumps on the road ahead.

“They say this is the biggest single drop in revenue in state history,” said Holbrook.

Looking ahead last year, Holbrook was able to protect the school’s fund balance – for the time being.

“I didn’t let teachers go, but after Christmas, I let 14 support people go,” he said. “Over half of those were janitorial.”

He said he kept staff on the restrooms and halls to keep them cleaned daily, but teachers became responsible for their classrooms. Even so, he said the remaining janitorial staff were over-worked, and he is very appreciative of the extra effort they put forth on behalf of Inola’s children and the district.

“We nearly worked them to death,” he said.

Teachers were told that broken equipment would be fixed, but nothing new would be purchased. Expenses were cut where possible, and $100,000 used out of the building fund to pay utilities.

“We finished OK this year,” said Holbrook.

Early retirement incentives were offered, and 11 teachers took advantage of the opportunity.  Four of those will return part-time to fill slots that might otherwise go empty and threaten accreditation standards, said Holbrook.

And while it hurt to lose some of the most experienced and highly qualified teachers in the district, it helped financially that those teachers were at the higher end of the pay scale.

One brand new teacher on a temporary contract was not renewed, and one other teacher was  a “RIF” – a termination due to a Reduction In Force.

The teacher was not the lowest in seniority, there were math teachers with less who were retained. Based on curriculum, however, the school did not have the classes for this teacher. The decision on who to cut was based on “certification and tenure,” said Holbrook.

This year, Inola has gone back from a trimester to a semester, allowing the school to make do with fewer teachers.

“We’re basically starting from scratch setting up a schedule,” said Holbrook.

The senior schedule is looked at first because graduating students have to be able to fulfill all the requirements needed by the state to complete their degrees.

Teachers are assigned to classes based on certification by subject and seniority. With the recent retirements, Clyde Barkley has high seniority with over 30 years.

The Pre-K class has stayed operational with help from he Cherokee Nation, said Holbrook.

“I can’t say enough good things about the Cherokee Nation,” he said. “They have really helped us out.”

The cuts he made early in staffing, the retirement of teachers, and the restructuring to semesters has worked.

“We have everything covered this year,” said Holbrook. “We have a balanced budget for this year.”

That doesn’t mean all’s rosy for the future, however. The 11 teachers who retired represent a 10 percent decrease in teaching staff. And while Inola started out with almost $5 million in state aid last year, this year the school is starting out with around $4.4 million or $500,000 less.

“That’s more than a 2 percent cut,” he said. “I absorbed a lot of this last year. I can absorb some cuts (this year), but it’s straight out of my carryover.”

In a sense, that’s what carryover is for, the problem is NEXT YEAR there will be a hole to fill and few resources left to fill it.

Last year, schools were propped up by stimulus money.

In addition, stimulus funds meant to see schools through THIS YEAR were raided last year. Stimulus funds stood at $333,811 in Inola last year, but then the legislature increased that by borrowing from this year’s amount. That has taken this year’s stimulus money down to $273,760, and next year that stimulus money will be gone.

Last year, Holbrook saved Inola $70,000 by cutting staff at Christmas. While he has been able to call a couple of those 14 people back in, there isn’t much left to cut there.

Assistant Superintendent Steve Waldvogel has taken a superintendent position in Mannford and will be sorely missed. His position will not be replaced at this time, said Holbrook. That job offer was a great opportunity for Waldvogel and helps Inola save his salary.

And that is the end of the rope.

“We’ve already cut everything we possible can,” said Holbrook.

In Inola, the loss of the remaining $270,000 in stimulus funds represents eight teacher positions, said Holbrook, but he can’t cut teachers that deeply or the school won’t be able to maintain the curriculum to keep up its accreditation. While Inola is OK for this year, he’s concerned about the future.

Planning ahead saved the school thus far. Planning for NEXT YEAR seems impossible given the current economic climate. Holbrook can only hold on and hope things get better sooner rather than later.

It’s a position many schools are facing. Some have already depleted their funds.

“A lot of schools last year were headed into the red,” said Holbrook.

The total count on those Oklahoma schools ending last fiscal year in debt on June 30 will not be in until the first of September when they make their final reporting to the state.

Salaries make up 85 percent of school spending. The additional 15 percent covers utilities and supplies.

Holbrook believes Oklahoma can do better on funding its schools just as comparable states of Arkansas and Kansas have done.

He is not ready to take a public stance on State Questions 744 which would amend the state constitution to require Oklahoma to fund students equal to the regional average. He said if SQ 744 passes, it will undoubtedly mean an increase in taxes.

SQ 744 aside, he hopes the people will do more for Oklahoma’s children.

“We can do better,” he said.

Under the law, schools are not allowed to be in debt, so those schools which ended in the red June 30 will start out with a zero fund balance on July 1. The indebtedness of a school district is paid by an automatic increase in ad valorem taxes. That’s an increase without a vote, said Holbrook, and superintendents try to avoid that scenario in any way possible.

Right now, Inola has a carryover of $848,679 in its fund balance, but how well that lasts through December remains to be seen based on appropriations that may fall dramatically short this year.