Epic Charter School announces layoffs, teacher pay cuts

TULSA, Okla. — Epic Charter Schools is cutting staff and asking teachers to take pay cuts.

On October 25, Epic, an online school, told employees that due to enrollment numbers, the school was making staffing changes.

Here is a copy of the email sent to staff:

Good morning,

I have some unpleasant news to share this morning that will impact all of us at Epic Charter Schools during the 2024-2025 school year.

Epic faces a significant financial deficit due to student enrollment that is well below our projected student population growth. As a publicly funded school, we are required to balance our budget under state law, so difficult decisions had to be made to meet the challenge and bring Epic into line with the current reality.

In addition to the savings measures we have identified in recent months, staff reductions will also be necessary. This was not a decision we made lightly and our hearts are heavy to find ourselves in this situation, especially after so much progress over the last year and the success and momentum we are experiencing as an organization.

Today, our HR team will begin contacting affected employees to explain the exit process and answer any questions. We will also begin communicating with students and families affected by the reorganization, as well as providers and community partners, as appropriate.

Epic will take a different approach to staffing in the future based on projected recruiting data to ensure we never encounter a situation like this again.

In the coming days and weeks you will have the opportunity to ask questions and express your concerns.

Kind regards,

Superintendent Banfield and the executive leadership team

In addition to layoffs, people remaining in the company are asked to agree to salary changes.

Beginning 11/11/2024the minimum teacher salary is $50,000 a year, up from $60,000. for teachers
Effective November 1, we will implement a 1% annual pay cut for administrative employees earning $80,000 or more

School principals said they would make staffing choices differently in the future based on enrollment data to avoid situations like this in the future.
2 News asked Epic about the cuts and issued this statement:

Epic Charter Schools is currently undergoing a school-wide reorganization to ensure adequate programs, services and staffing due to enrollment numbers that have not achieved expected growth for the 2024-2025 school year. We are doing everything we can to ensure that the educational experience of our current students and families is not disrupted, and to support those affected by changes in staffing positions.

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