Recent education bill and court decision privatize education
On March 31, Governor Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 2078, which fundamentally altered the way education funding is allotted by the state. The key to the bill is shifting the methodology for counting students currently enrolled in schools. Before the bill, students from the two years preceding the current year were counted for total enrolment. Now, only the previous year’s students will be counted.
This funding system change boils down to a predictable result: less funding for public school districts. Schools that were already losing students — generally ones in large urban areas or rural districts — will experience a sharp decline in funding. An urban district like Oklahoma City Public Schools estimates at least $8 million in cuts. Enrollment had particularly declined due to the ongoing pandemic, which saw an immense flight of students from public schools to online charters.