Gov. Stitt Lays Out $800M Education Plan; Lawmakers React

After weeks of negotiations on an education package for this legislative session, Governor Stitt announced his own plan Friday morning.

Stitt says he believes his bill is a great compromise between the House and Senate’s plans.

“Trying to bring both teams together, I think it's time to bring something across the finish line,” said Stitt. “I've tried to take the best from both different bills and came up with these bills.”

The governor’s plan will cost $800 million - $600 million towards public school funding and $200 million towards parent choice tax credits.

“We can invest historic amounts in public education, we can invest historic amounts in tax credits,” said Stitt.

One of the house’s main priorities was increased funding for public schools outside of the current funding formula. This priority was incorporated into Stitt’s plan, adding $300 million to be distributed to public schools in the state, with a cap of $2 million per district.

On top of the money outside of the formula, Stitt’s plan includes an additional $300 million for public schools, part of which will go to a scaled teacher pay raise- one of the senate’s priorities.

“It's a sliding scale that every single teacher will get a pay raise even if you're already above the minimum pay scale,” said Stitt.

The original bill written by Senate Education chair, Adam Pugh, was a teacher pay raise between $3,000-$6,000 based on years of experience. Under Stitt’s plan, it’s still a scaled raise based on years of experience but was lowered to $2,000-$5,000.

“We had to back that down and that will cost around $250 million, then there will be about $50 million more into the funding formula,” said Stitt.

The Senate originally proposed to add about $600 million to the funding formula, but Stitt is proposing to drop that to $50 million. Another big priority for both chambers: tax credits for private and homeschool families. Stitt’s plan would give $5,000 per private school student and $1,000 per homeschooled family, with an income cap.

“We’re going to prioritize families under $250,000 which is still a high number, and in 3 years there will be no cap and no limit. It allows us to step into that,” said Stitt.

House Speaker Charles McCall said he’s still reviewing the plan but said “Upon initial review, the plan looks like a positive step in the right direction for education in Oklahoma.”

President Pro Tem Greg Treat said he is also still looking at the plan, but says "It is undeniably similar to the house plan that the senate had issues with." Treat and McCall both say they plan to meet with their counterpart and the governor to review the plan next week.

“I'm encouraging the House and Senate to get this across the finish line and get this to my desk,” said Stitt.

Senate and House Democrats announced their own education plan this week. They are calling for a clean teacher pay raise of up to $12,000 that is not attached to tax credits, smaller class sizes, and increased support staff in Oklahoma schools.

“Our Senators and Representatives can come together to create a plan that meets families where their children are—in public schools,” House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City said.

“Ninety-five percent of parents in Oklahoma choose public schools, so that’s where we want to invest,” Senate Minority Leader Kay Floyd said.

“We have the funding to really improve public education in Oklahoma. We want to put Oklahoma’s kids first, not adult egos or pet projects for the wealthy elite,” said Assistant House Minority Leader Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa.

House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson released a statement today following Governor Stitt’s education proposal: "We know that Oklahomans are counting on solutions so that all families can send their children to great public school,” said Munson.

“Public dollars should go to public schools. The Governor’s plan moves money away from public schools to private schools.”

“The Governor’s education plan prioritizes vouchers for private schools and reduces teacher pay raises and public classroom funding. House and Senate Democrats have chosen to prioritize public school students and teachers because 95% of Oklahomans make the choice to attend a public school,” said Munson.

Full Statement from Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat:

“We are currently reviewing the plan the governor has proposed. At first glance, it is undeniably similar to the House plan that the Senate, as well as other education groups had issues with, which is why we amended the bills in the first place. We will take the weekend to review the governor’s plan, bring it up in our weekly Monday caucus meeting and respond in due course.” - Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat

Full statement from House Speaker Charles McCall:

“The House is in the process of reviewing the Governor’s proposed education plan and will continue discussions both internally and with our colleagues in the Senate. Upon initial review, the plan looks like a positive step in the right direction for education in Oklahoma. As negotiations progress over the coming days, the House will continue to focus on passing an education plan that works for every student, every parent, every teacher and every school in the state. I want to thank Governor Stitt for his work during education negotiations and I look forward to further conversations with both him and Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat as we continue to chart a course for the future of education in Oklahoma.” – Speaker Charles McCall