The Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled that a proposed penny sales tax that would pay for a teacher pay raise and fund other areas of education in Oklahoma can be placed on a ballot for a statewide vote.
In a 6-3 decision Tuesday, the state's highest court rejected claims that measure unconstitutionally combines multiple subjects into a single vote.
The measure, known as Initiative Petition No. 403, was proposed by a group of education and business leaders who want a one-cent sales tax that would generate about $615 million a year to help fund education and teacher pay raises.
Oklahoma State School Boards Association Director Shawn Hime says if the initiative passes, the state’s public schools will catch up.
"Our schools in Oklahoma are hundreds of millions of dollars behind our surrounding states in funding education and paying our teachers."
OCPA Impact, the action group of a conservative think tank opposed to higher taxes, had challenged the petition, claiming it violates the requirement that any proposed constitutional amendment pertain to only one subject. Director Dave Bond doesn’t disagree teachers need to be paid more.
"It’s perhaps the consensus policy issue in Oklahoma today. Increasing taxes, particularly the sales tax, is not nearly as popular. Not even close."
Initiative supporters have 90 days to gather roughly 124,000 signatures.
