Tag: education funding

A closer look at Governor Fallin’s FY 2014 budget

On Monday, Governor Mary Fallin delivered her State of the State address and presented her FY 2014 Executive Budget. As we noted in our public statement, the Governor has proposed much more modest tax cuts than she did last year… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma's per pupil spending has plummeted

Oklahoma’s economy has performed relatively well over the course of the Great Recession, compared to the nation as a whole. We’ve had lower unemployment numbers and decent income growth. Yet you wouldn’t know it to look at the state of… Read more [More...]

For Oklahoma voters, education funding cuts are a major concern

As students head back to school this month, they will encounter an education system facing a crisis in funding. Over the past four years, state support for public schools has been slashed by $220 million, or  11 percent, while school… Read more [More...]

You’re doin’ fine, transportation

The past several years have put severe constraints on the state budget. State appropriations remain below their levels of four years ago.  Many state agencies have absorbed funding cuts of over 20 percent, and most have been forced to cut… Read more [More...]

The survey says… Oklahoma businesses need a well-funded education system

A few months ago, Governor Fallin released the results of a survey of businesses from across the state that asked what they viewed as the strengths and weaknesses of doing business in Oklahoma.  The results showed clearly that Oklahoma businesses… Read more [More...]

Still stuck in a hole: Funding for public education falls flat

The FY 2013 budget negotiated  by legislative leaders and Governor Fallin had some encouraging aspects. Overall appropriations increased by $253 million, or 3.8 percent, and there was additional funding for targeted priorities in human services, health care, transportation and public… Read more [More...]

Betting the Farm: Ending the income tax creates huge risks for rural Oklahoma

Could doing away with Oklahoma’s income tax shift taxes not only onto low and middle–income families but also from urban areas to rural areas? Many programs, services, and incentives important for rural Oklahoma rely on our existing revenue structure and… Read more [More...]

Stuck in a Hole: What flat funding means for the common education budget

After three straight years of budget cuts, funding for public education in Oklahoma is in dire straits.  This year’s appropriation to the Department of Education is $254 million, or 10.0 percent, less than it was in 2009.  In the past… Read more [More...]

SQ 744: The wrong solution

Today, Oklahoma Policy Institute released an issue brief exploring State Question 744, the proposal that will appear on the November ballot that would peg Oklahoma’s education spending to the regional average per pupil expenditure in six neighboring states. On our… Read more [More...]

How much budget cutting is too much?–SQ 744 and this year's revenue shortfall

The House of Representatives Appropriation and Budget Committee recently held hearings on an interim study of State Question 744. State Question 744, also known as the HOPE petition, is an initiative sponsored by the Oklahoma Education Association (OEA) that would… Read more [More...]