Oklahoma City — House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, last week commented on the House’s passage of House Bill 1934:

“In crafting an education plan, the House has continuously focused on a policy that works for everyone in our state: Every student, every parent and every teacher. The House supports parental choice in education, and as I have said repeatedly over the past year, we are committed to making sure any education plan that is passed doesn’t hurt our public schools. Today, the House passed the Senate’s tax credit plan, but I am holding the bill from going to the governor’s desk until we get agreement on a public education funding plan.”

In the waning days of the 2023 regular Legislative Session, McCall and Senate President Pro Tempore remain at an impasse over the school choice issue and other education policy issues.

After H.B. 1934 sailed through the House, McCall said the measure would not be forwarded to the state’s chief executive at that time. He lifted up the House’s approach to education policy this year while assailing the Senate’s approach.

McCall said in his May 2 statement:

“The Senate has made it clear that their priority was a tax credit bill that reflected the will of their members. We have passed that and are now asking them to work with our members on funding public schools, particularly in rural areas, a priority for our chamber. We are calling on the Senate to either pass the governor’s compromise plan or move off their hardline position and come back to the negotiation table on a public education plan that works for every school in the state.

“The House’s only requirement is the Oklahoma Student Fund to support our rural schools. We are open to more money through the formula, increased funding to urban and suburban schools, higher teacher pay raises and other Senate priorities, but we are adamant that we must provide needed support to rural schools.

“There are various stakeholders in education, but the common denominator is students. The House supports students. We support parents. We support teachers. We support schools. We don’t want any more political games played with school funding, and it’s time for the Senate to work with us to create a public school funding plan that works for all.

“We are confident we can get this done and have passed the Senate tax credit plan as a show of goodwill and compromise. The ball is now in the Senate’s court to meet the House halfway on public education funding.”

On the same day McCall issued his statement, Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, issued a statement of his own giving his perspective on the continuing gridlock over combined teacher pay hikes, education funding and school choice.

https://www.capitolbeatok.com/reports/in-response-to-education-votes-in-the-oklahoma-house/

Note: Pat McGuigan, publisher and founder of CapitolBeatOK.com, prepared this story for posting, using a press release from Speaker McCall’s office. Founded in 2009, CapitolBeatOK.com is an independent, non-partisan and locally-managed news service based in Oklahoma City.