Hundreds of employees with Epic Charter Schools have been laid off without notice or warning and will not receive severance pay.
One former employee reported that they received an email stating their contract would not be renewed for the upcoming school year. They added that the employer provided no reason whatsoever for the decision to lay them off, and within a few minutes, their computer was deactivated.
Hundreds of School Staff Laid Off
Epic Charter Schools later revealed that a total of 357 employees' contracts were not renewed for the 2025-2026 school year. Breaking down the numbers, these include 83 teachers and 274 administrative staff.
Another former employee said that their initial reaction to being laid off was overwhelming sadness because they love their students, the people they work with, and teachers in general. They were furious about the development because people's lives were at stake, and even just a warning would have been courteous, according to KFOR.
They added that, though they will be paid through the end of June, they will not be eligible for any severance pay. The former employee stated that they believe many employees were laid off due to the mismanagement of funds.
On the other hand, Epic Charter Schools said that they needed to lay off employees to ensure their long-term sustainability. It will start to phase out its Learning Center model beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, which means it will stop offering full-day in-person learning from Monday through Friday. They will also stop providing meal services for breakfast and lunch.
Ensuring Long-Term Sustainability
The phasing out of the Learning Center model leads to the closure of two institutions in Oklahoma City and one in Tulsa. The district also described the development as making efforts to align its resources with its educational priorities, The Oklahoman reported.
Epic Charter Schools superintendent Bart Banfield said that the transition is more about preserving and strengthening the district's ability to serve students for "years to come." A spokesperson for the school, Rob Crissinger, said laid-off employees were notified about the closures on Tuesday.
The school district stated that the closure of the Learning Center model provides an opportunity for the theme to help families become comfortable with the Comet Academy model. This allows them to serve more students and address the waiting list at Epic Charter Schools' most extensive facilities in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, according to Fox23 News.
Originally published on parentherald.com
