Osage school closure forces families to seek other options
An $11 million Osage Nation shortfall also led to a visitor center closure and planned tribal farm shutdown
Daposka Ahnko-Dapi closed at the start of the school year after the Osage Nation’s $11 million budget shortfall forced cuts, leaving families who enrolled children in its Osage language and cultural programs to seek other school options.
The Osage Nation said it had no choice but to make the cuts. It also closed its visitor center and plans to close the tribal farm, according to reporting from 2 News Oklahoma.
Jessica Davis, whose child attended Daposka Ahnko-Dapi, said families are weighing their options. Some children had attended the school since age 5.
“We’re all stuck,” Davis told 2 News Oklahoma. Davis said many families moved their children from public schools to Daposka Ahnko-Dapi because of its benefits for community members, particularly Native American families.
Whether legal action could save the school was unclear.
- 1.Osage Nation budget crisis shutters Native language school. 2 News Oklahoma KJRH Tulsa, .
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