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Oklahoma Legislature still deeply divided on school vouchers

admin by admin
February 13, 2023
in Democratic


OKLAHOMA CITY — As Gov. Kevin Stitt renews his push for universal school vouchers, Republican lawmakers remain at a stalemate on the controversial issue.

Although school choice proponents say the political dynamics have changed at the Capitol since last year, many GOP lawmakers still fiercely oppose allowing taxpayer dollars to go toward a child’s private or home school education through school vouchers.

But vouchers won’t be the only policy option on the table this year.

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House Republicans are expected to unveil an education plan that would expand school choice options in Oklahoma without vouchers.

Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, said the details are still being worked out, but once the plan is complete, House Republicans are unlikely to support other school choice proposals.

“This is our deal. This is the only deal,” he said.

House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, recently reiterated his opposition to school vouchers. Early on in last year’s legislative session, McCall insisted his chamber wouldn’t hear a controversial voucher bill introduced in the upper chamber.

After previously expressing concerns that vouchers could hurt rural districts, McCall said Thursday the House remains uninterested in hearing bills similar to the Oklahoma Empowerment Act, a universal voucher bill that failed in the Senate last year.

“The House is very pro-education,” McCall said. “We are always exploring and working on policies that would increase parental choice. … But we’re looking for a policy that’s going to work everywhere.”

Stitt, Walters push school choice

Stitt wants to set aside $130 million this year for education savings accounts, also known as school vouchers. The governor and State Superintendent Ryan Walters campaigned on expanding school choice in Oklahoma.

Walters has said he wants to implement the most expansive school choice program in the nation. Allowing taxpayer dollars to follow the student to whatever school they choose is key, he said.

“Every single child in the state of Oklahoma should have every option available to them,” Walters said in an interview. “That’s public school options. That’s private school options. That’s homeschooling and public charters.

“It has to be the ability for a mom and dad to make a decision, and for all of the money that is paid in for their child’s education to follow them with that decision.”

Walters said vouchers aren’t the only way to ensure taxpayer dollars follow the student. There can be different mechanisms to make that happen, he said.

But he opposes any carve outs based on geography or other factors. In other words, he envisions a school choice program that affords all students the same opportunities.

Rep. Rhonda Baker, chairwoman of the House Common Education Committee, expressed concerns that vouchers don’t allow for financial oversight of taxpayer dollars.

Oklahoma’s state auditor and inspector has said giving taxpayer dollars to a private entity opens the door for corruption, Baker said.

“When you have got public dollars going to a private entity, there is such a problem with transparency,” Baker said. “We have to answer to our taxpayers. You can’t answer to the taxpayers when you’re giving public dollars to a private entity and you don’t know exactly how that’s being spent.”

A mandate from voters?

Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, expressed confidence that legislative support for school vouchers has grown in the past year.

Daniels introduced legislation this year that would allow parents to create an account for their child with the State Treasurer’s Office to receive funds equal to what a public school district would receive to educate that student. Parents could then use that money to homeschool their child or send them to a private school.

To offset the cost of the vouchers, Daniels proposes appropriating an additional $275 million to the state funding formula.

She rejected the notion that vouchers aren’t transparent. Her Senate Bill 822 requires 10% of all Education Freedom Accounts to be audited each year. The state would shut down any accounts with misspent funds, she said.

More than ever before, parents are demanding more options to get their children the best education possible, Daniels said.

In the November election, Oklahoma voters last year delivered a mandate on school choice that’s likely to sway legislators, she said.

“The margins of victory for both the governor and the superintendent of education who ran on strong school choice platforms and won handily, I think, sent a signal to the Legislature that it really is time to address this issue in a serious and substantive way,” Daniels said.

Stitt made similar comments in his State of the State speech, saying “parents spoke loud and clear at the ballot box.”

November’s election didn’t change Republican Sen. Dewayne Pemberton’s mind on school vouchers. The former public school teacher, coach and principal from Muskogee said he still opposes vouchers because they would take hundreds of millions of dollars away from public schools.

But with eight new Republican senators in the chamber, Pemberton thinks voucher proponents will have enough votes to send a bill to the House this year.

“If we voted today, I would say it would probably pass,” he said.

But Pemberton said he has faith that the House will reject any voucher proposals.

He also pushed back on the notion that voters issued a mandate on school choice.

“The election of the governor and (Superintendent) Walters had nothing to do with vouchers,” Pemberton said. “It was strictly about the red wave and straight-ticket Republican voting. So, when they jump up and say they have a mandate, that’s not true.”

Ginnie Graham talks with Bixby Superintendent Rob Miller about the state legislature potentially using merit pay raises for public school teachers, and why he feels the idea does not work.


Tulsa-area state legislators and how to contact them

Sen. Nathan Dahm





DISTRICT 33

Sen. Nathan Dahm (R)

Hometown: Broken Arrow

District area: South and east Tulsa County

Phone: 405-521-5551

Email Sen. Dahm


Sen. Dana Prieto





Sen. Dana Prieto

DISTRICT 34

Sen. Dana Prieto (R)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Owasso and northern Tulsa County

Phone: 405-521-5566

Email Sen. Prieto


Sen. Jo Anna Dossett





Sen. Jo Anna Dossett

DISTRICT 35

Sen. Jo Anna Dossett (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: South and central Tulsa

Phone: 405-521-5624

Email Sen. Jo Anna Dossett


Sen. John Haste





Sen. John Haste

DISTRICT 36

Sen. John Haste (R)

Hometown: Broken Arrow

District area: Eastern Tulsa County, western Wagoner County

Phone: 405-521-5602

Email Sen. Haste


Sen. Todd Gollihare





Sen. Todd Gollihare

DISTRICT 12

Sen. Todd Gollihare (R)

Hometown: Kellyville

District area: Creek County

Phone: 405-521-5528

Email Sen. Gollihare


Sen. Kevin Matthews





Sen. Kevin Matthews

DISTRICT 11

Sen. Kevin Matthews (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Northern Tulsa, southeast Osage County

Phone: 405-521-5598

Email Sen. Matthews


Sen. Joe Newhouse





Sen. Joe Newhouse

DISTRICT 25

Sen. Joe Newhouse (R)

Hometown: Broken Arrow

District area: South Tulsa, Bixby, Broken Arrow and Jenks

Phone: 405-521-5675

Email Sen. Newhouse


Sen. Dave Rader





Sen. Dave Rader

DISTRICT 39

Sen. Dave Rader (R)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Central and south Tulsa

Phone: 405-521-5620

Email Sen. Rader


Sen. Cody Rogers





Sen. Cody Rogers

DISTRICT 37

Sen. Cody Rogers (R)

Hometown: Tulsa

District Area: West Tulsa County

Phone: 405-521-5600

Email Sen. Rogers


Rep. Meloyde Blancett





Rep. Meloyde Blancett

DISTRICT 78

Rep. Meloyde Blancett (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Midtown Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7334

Email Rep. Blancett


Rep. Jeff Boatman





Rep. Jeff Boatman

DISTRICT 67

Rep. Jeff Boatman (R)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Southeast Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7341

Email Rep. Boatman


Rep. Amanda Swope





Rep. Amanda Swope

DISTRICT 71

Rep. Amanda Swope (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Brookside in Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7361

Email Rep. Swope


Rep. Suzanne Schreiber





Rep. Suzanne Schreiber

DISTRICT 70

Rep. Suzanne Schreiber (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Midtown Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7359

Email Rep. Schreiber


Rep. Dean Davis





Rep. Dean Davis

DISTRICT 98

Rep. Dean Davis (R)

Hometown: Broken Arrow

District area: Elm Place in east Broken Arrow, east to 248th East Avenue

Phone: 405-557-7362

Email Rep. Davis


Rep. Mark Tedford





Rep. Mark Tedford

DISTRICT 69

Rep. Mark Tedford (R)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Jenks, Bixby and Tulsa between those cities

Phone: 405-557-7331

Email Rep. Tedford


Rep. Scott Fetgatter





Rep. Scott Fetgatter

DISTRICT 16

Rep. Scott Fetgatter (R)

Hometown: Okmulgee

District area: Okmulgee County and the southeastern tip of Tulsa County

Phone: 405-557-7373

Email Rep. Fetgatter


Rep. Ross Ford





Rep. Ross Ford

DISTRICT 76

Rep. Ross Ford (R)

Hometown: Broken Arrow

District area: West Broken Arrow

Phone: 405-557-7347

Email Rep. Ford


Rep. Regina Goodwin





Rep. Regina Goodwin

DISTRICT 73

Rep. Regina Goodwin (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Downtown and northwest Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7406

Email Rep. Goodwin


Rep. Kyle Hilbert





Rep. Kyle Hilbert

DISTRICT 29

Rep. Kyle Hilbert (R)

Hometown: Depew

District area: Westernmost Tulsa County, Creek County

Phone: 405-557-7353

Email Rep. Hilbert


Rep. Mark Lawson





Rep. Mark Lawson

DISTRICT 30

Rep. Mark Lawson (R)

Hometown: Sapulpa

District area: Sapulpa, Mounds, southwest Tulsa County

Phone: 405- 557-7414

Email Rep. Lawson


Rep. T.J. Marti





Rep. T.J. Marti

DISTRICT 75

Rep. T.J. Marti (R)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: East Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7356

Email Rep. Marti


Rep. Stan May





Rep. Stan May

DISTRICT 80

Rep. Stan May (R)

Hometown: Broken Arrow

District area: Southeast Tulsa County; small section of southwest Wagoner County

Phone: 405-557-7338

Email Rep. May


Rep. Monroe Nichols





Rep. Monroe Nichols

DISTRICT 72

Rep. Monroe Nichols (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Southeast corner of Inner Dispersal Loop to Owasso; also includes Turley and Sperry

Phone: 405-557-7391

Email Rep. Nichols


Rep. Clay Staires





Rep. Clay Staires

DISTRICT 66

Rep. Clay Staires (R)

Hometown: Skiatook

District area: Sand Springs, west Tulsa between Arkansas River and Osage County line and Riverview

Phone: 405-557-7390

Email Rep. Staires


Rep. Terry O’Donnell





Rep. Terry O'Donnell

DISTRICT 23

Rep. Terry O’Donnell (R)

Hometown: Catoosa

District area: Catoosa, east Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7379

Email Rep. O’Donnell


Rep. Melissa Provenzano





Rep. Melissa Provenzano

DISTRICT 79

Rep. Melissa Provenzano (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: East and southeast Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7330

Email Rep. Provenzano


Rep. Lonnie Sims





Rep. Lonnie Sims

DISTRICT 68

Rep. Lonnie Sims (R)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: West Tulsa County from the bend of Arkansas River down to Glenpool

Phone: 405-557-7340

Email Rep. Sims


Rep. John Kane





Rep. John Kane

DISTRICT 11

Rep. John Kane (R)

Hometown: Bartlesville

District area: Bartlesville, north Tulsa County including Collinsville

Phone: 405-557-7358

Email Rep. Kane


Rep. Mark Vancuren





Rep. Mark Vancuren

DISTRICT 74

Rep. Mark Vancuren (R)

Hometown: Owasso

District area: Suburban Owasso

Phone: 405-557-7377

Email Rep. Vancuren


Rep. John Waldron





Rep. John Waldron

DISTRICT 77

Rep. John Waldron (D)

Hometown: Tulsa

District area: Northeast Tulsa

Phone: 405-557-7410

Email Rep. Waldron


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carmen.forman@tulsaworld.com

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Tags: educationinstitutionskevin stittlawlegislationlegislatureoklahomaparliament and legislative bodiespoliticsryan waltersschool systemsschool vouchersthe economytrade
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