July 23, 2010, EdmondSun.com
Mickey Hepner
Special to The Sun
EDMOND — The campaign over State Question 744 promises to be one of the most important battles waged during the next three months. On one side are those arguing for significant increases in education funding. On the other side are those that worry about funding cuts to other important government programs. For Oklahomans to make the right decision, they will need to have the best information.
This week the good folks at the Oklahoma Policy Institute did their part to inform Oklahomans when they released a new policy brief arguing that SQ 744 is “The Wrong Solution for Oklahoma.” SQ 744 would amend Oklahoma’s Constitution to require that Oklahoma’s per-pupil education funding would be at least equal to the average of the funding in neighboring states. While admitting that education funding in Oklahoma falls far short of desired levels, the Oklahoma Policy Institute report argues that funding for most government services in Oklahoma also falls far below the national average. As a result they offer four reasons why they oppose the measure:
1. “SQ 744 would ensure the severe underfunding of all other areas of state government.
2. “Budgets should not be determined by constitutional formula.
3. “The language in SQ 744 is unclear and does not reflect the reality of how we fund education, and
4. “SQ 744 is not the best means to achieve the goals of improving educational quality and outcomes.”
FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Fri, July 23, 2010
by Crystal Drwenski