BY DAVID BLATT Oklahoman, Published: July 21, 2010
Many Oklahomans are dissatisfied with the state's level of investment in public education. According to recent data, Oklahoma ranks 49th in per-pupil expenditures for K-12 education and the state fiscal crisis has now led to two consecutive years of shrinking education budgets. Even before the downturn, the ability or willingness of Oklahoma legislators to provide adequate funding for education through the normal appropriation process was widely questioned.
These concerns have led some to consider constitutional change as a solution to Oklahoma's school funding challenges. State Question 744 is a ballot measure that, if approved by voters on Nov. 2, would amend the state constitution so as to peg the annual education budget in Oklahoma to the regional average per-pupil expenditure in Oklahoma's six bordering states.
There is no question that passage of SQ 744 would lead to a massive increase in spending on education in Oklahoma over the coming years. However, once carefully thought through and understood, it becomes clear that SQ 744 represents the wrong approach to the problems it aims to solve.
We calculate that SQ 744 would require nearly $1.7 billion in increased funding exclusively for common education over its three-year phase-in period, at a time when the state must replace more than $1 billion in nonrecurring revenue in its base budget. Since the measure doesn't provide for any new revenues, passage of SQ 744 would ensure a severe funding shortage for all other functions of government that could be addressed only by deep budget cuts or substantial tax increases... FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Wed, July 21, 2010
by Crystal Drwenski