© 2024 KOSU
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Oklahoma City Public Schools Votes To Sue State For Underfunding Education

Emily Wendler / StateImpact Oklahoma
Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Aurora Lora and Board of Education member, Mark Mann, announce plans to sue the legislature over education funding.

The Oklahoma City Public School Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution on Monday that gives district leadership the green light to pursue a lawsuit against the state.

 

Board members say lawmakers are not adequately funding education and they hope legal action changes that.

The resolution says legislative leaders don’t give schools enough money to do what is required of them by law, and therefore have failed to comply with their constitutional responsibility to fund public education.

Board member Mark Mann says he's not sure how much the lawsuit will cost, but he expects other districts to join in, spreading out the expenses.

"I think there’s a lot of interest, and I think now that we’ve actually taken the step to pass this tonight you’re going to see a lot of people coming out of the woodwork in the next month to join this, and to talk about joining it."

Mann says the board is not seeking a specific amount of money, but at least enough for schools to do what is required of them.

 

ORIGINAL POST (August 17, 2017):

The Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education is considering legal action against the legislature for underfunding education.

 

Board member Mark Mann said the Oklahoma Legislature puts mandates on schools without giving them enough money to fulfill the obligations, which he says creates unfunded liabilities for Oklahoma City Public Schools and other districts across the state.

“…to do all the things for every kid. To give them the opportunity that they deserve, that we’re morally as a society obligated to provide these children, we don’t have the resources to do that,” he said.

The proposed lawsuit would be directed to the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate in their official capacities.

At a special board meeting on Aug. 21, the board will vote to authorize the district’s legal counsel to begin the process of interviewing law firms in order to prepare the lawsuit. Mann thinks other school districts will join the legal action.

The Oklahoma City school board is not seeking a specific amount of money, Mann said, but will seek enough to do what is required of the district.

Another option, Mann said, is for lawmakers to convene a special legislative session and come up with additional funds for schools.

Shortly after the OKCPS Board’s announcement, Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, released a statement suggesting the Oklahoma City Public School District’s per-pupil funding average “is more than $1,000 per student higher than the state average.”

“I would encourage them to spend their time and money on being better stewards of the dollars they receive instead of filing frivolous lawsuits that blame others for their own poor leadership. Not only would a lawsuit waste the school district’s money, it would waste additional taxpayer dollars to defend it. The Oklahoma City Public School District needs to stop playing political games and get back to educating students.”

The Oklahoma City Public School district cut about $30 million out of their budget two years ago due to state-wide budget cuts. As a result, they had to cancel textbook purchases, let go of hundreds of teachers, and reduce funding for athletics and arts.

District Superintendent Aurora Lora said she hoped lawmakers would find revenue to increase school funding this past legislative session, but they didn’t and the district had to cut another $10 million out of their budget.

“We just can’t keep doing this,” she said. “Our kids need us to stand up and demand that we have adequate funding for them to get a great education in this state.”


StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership among Oklahoma’s public radio stations and relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond. Donate online.

Emily Wendler was KOSU's education reporter from 2015 to 2019.
KOSU is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.
Related Content