Public schools blindsided by OK Board of Education decision on charter school funding
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Oklahoma City Public Schools says they were blindsided by the State Board of Education's decision to equalize funding between public schools and charter schools.
The decision came after a four-year-old case involving charter school funding.
OKCPS says this decision could force public school districts to distribute money to public and virtual charter schools from their building funds and local and state funding based on the number of students living within their district.
According to OKCPS, this would shift tens of millions of dollars from public schools to charter schools.
The case starting in 2017 when the Oklahoma Public Charter School Association sued the State Board of Education saying that the state Legislature intended for charter schools to receive the same funding as public schools.
Currently, according to OKCPS, state law does not allow charter schools to levy taxes, issue bonds, or receive local property tax revenue for building funds.
Both Oklahoma City Public Schools and Tulsa Public Schools sponsor charter schools in Oklahoma and attempted to intervene in the lawsuit to protect students.
OKCPS says the Board's decision, if legal, would benefit 80,000 Oklahoma charter school students but comes at the expense of more than 700,000 public school students.
OKCPS Superintendent Dr. Sean McDaniel released this statement:
“The action taken by the Oklahoma State Board of Education last Thursday was a blindside to many, including to our State Superintendent of Public Instruction, who serves as the President of the State Board. There can be no doubt that this unlawful action, if successful, will have a significant impact on our OKCPS students, as well as public school students in every district in Oklahoma -- especially at a time when common education is already critically underfunded.
From the moment we were made aware of the State Board’s actions on Thursday, OKCPS has been in constant communication with public school districts across the state, as well as our legal counsel, to discuss our next steps.
While I certainly don’t know all of the details of the State Board’s actions and what led up to them, I am more than concerned about the route that it appears the board took to achieve a desired outcome. It lacks the transparency that we should all expect, appears to have been pre-planned, and causes me to have serious doubts about the State Board’s ability to advocate for the interests of the 90% of Oklahoma students who attend traditional non-charter public schools.
I applaud Superintendent Hofmeister for her efforts to inform the full board of the inappropriateness of the action that was eventually taken. I am hopeful that the State Board of Education will immediately reconsider their reckless and harmful decision.”
Governor Kevin Stitt said he commends the Board's decision saying:
"This decision is the right one for Oklahoma students. The COVID pandemic has shown us that students learn in a variety of different ways and there is no one-size-fits-all school for every student. Public school students should not be punished for succeeding in a charter school setting. Further, existing statute makes clear that charter schools are eligible for local revenues.
“The State Board’s decision is a lawful solution to a problem that has existed for years and predates my time as governor. But let me be clear: I was hired to bring a fresh set of eyes to all areas of government, including, and perhaps most importantly, the way we educate future generations. Oklahoma’s 40+ year stagnant approach is not working. Being ranked among the bottom five states in the nation for education is unacceptable to me and I know it’s unacceptable to Oklahomans, so I will do everything I can to ensure Oklahoma becomes a Top Ten state in education and that includes supporting all public school students in the same way.”