Common Education

Oklahoma House Education Committee Chair Rep. Dick Lowe, R-Amber, reacted to the Monday announcement by State Superintendent Ryan Walters that he would require all school districts in the state to provide free lunches to all students at the cost of employee salaries. The Superintendent does not have the Constitutional or legal authority to direct how individual school districts allocate their budgets. "This attempt to overstep the authority of Walters' office is a threat to the independent decision-making power of Oklahoma's school districts. Regardless, it is nothing more than an empty threat," said Lowe, a former ag teacher. "Addressing student hunger and streamlining administrative costs are both worthwhile endeavors, but these changes must be implemented legislatively, not through an unfunded mandate. State law clearly outlines what districts are required to fund, including minimum teacher salaries and limits on administrative spending, but it does not require free meals universally. That decision rightly belongs to locally elected school boards, who know their communities best and are entrusted with setting district budgets according to local needs. Districts that choose to use discretionary funds to cover meal costs for all students do so voluntarily, not because of any mandate from the state. As such, there is no legal basis for the State Department of Education to retaliate through special sanctions over budget decisions that are entirely within districts' rights. If Walters has legislative goals, I encourage him to be communicative with lawmakers year-round, not after session has adjourned and it's too late for the Legislature to consider any of his proposals." The House has previously considered bills to expand availability of free school meals, including House Bill 1376 in 2023.  Walters' announcement also referred to a potential SDE emergency rule regarding child nutrition standards. Any emergency rule must be approved by the State Board of Education before it can be considered by the governor. If the agency wishes to continue the emergency rule, the rule must be submitted as a proposed permanent rule during the next legislative session. The next regular SBE meeting is scheduled for July 24.

OKLAHOMA CITY – House Speaker Pro Tempore Anthony Moore, R-Clinton, on Wednesday passed a bill in committee that would extend the age for a person wishing to complete their high school education. Senate Bill 745 would amend Oklahoma's high school learner statute, allowing individuals up to the age of 30 to complete high school. The current cut-off age is 26. "There are many reasons a person might not complete high school," Moore said. "This just gives these individuals the opportunity to take this important step and affords them the same privileges as those of traditional high school age. "Possessing a high school diploma can lead to better employment and earnings as well as the chance to pursue higher education and other opportunities. This will benefit not just the individual but improve our communities and our state." This builds on a measure that passed unanimously in the Legislature last year that expanded the age to 26 for those seeking to complete their high school diploma. This bill states that, beginning in the 2025-26 school year, individuals between the ages of 21 and 30 shall only be eligible to complete high school if they attend a virtual education program. This protects younger adults attending high school in person, Moore said. The measure also excludes such individuals from being included in the calculation of a school’s A-F report card. SB745 is authored in the Senate by Sen. Christi Gillespie, R-Broken Arrow. It passed unanimously in the House Common Education Committee and is now eligible for consideration in the Education Oversight Committee. 

The Oklahoma House of Representatives has passed legislation aiming to increase transparency and oversight of federal funds received by state agencies. House Bill 1221 , also known as the State Accounts for Federal Expenditures (SAFE) Act, would create accounts to be used by agencies for federal funds received under competitive grant awards, direct monetary payments to the agency not associated with an established federal program the agency operates, and block grants. The bill would mandate that any state agency receiving federal funds through these mechanisms must place those funds into separate SAFE accounts, which would be subject to rigorous reporting to the legislative and executive branches. Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, authored the SAFE Act, which would subject expenditures from these federal accounts to legislative approval through a concurrent resolution. If the Legislature disapproves any proposed expenditure, the agency would be required to notify the federal government and withdraw its application for the corresponding funding. "The SAFE Act ensures federal funds are spent in alignment with Oklahoma's priorities through a transparent process," West said. "This gives elected lawmakers a stronger voice on how our state agencies are spending federal funds and ensures Oklahoma taxpayers can trust how their state government is spending these dollars. I appreciate the strong support for this bill in the House and hope to see it move quickly in the Senate." HB1221 outlines specific exemptions, including temporary funding increases in existing federal programs already managed by state agencies, federal unemployment dollars managed by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC), and certain competitive grants received by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) for the 8-year Construction Work Plan or grants from the Federal Railroad Administration. Additionally, agencies would be required to present their grant-seeking activities and federal funding reports during legislative hearings or budget performance reviews.  "We know the Trump administration has promised and is already delivering on sending more federal dollars down to the states where we can best determine how to use those funds to best benefit Oklahomans. This legislation ensures federal funds being redirected to the state have full legislative review and control to ensure state agencies are aligning expenditures with legislative intent," said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow. "We are excited about the opportunities flexibility with these federal funds will bring to our state and this legislation will maintain accountability at the state level for those funds." Having passed the House 78-18, the SAFE Act now moves to the Senate for consideration, where it is authored by Sen. Avery Frix, R-Muskogee.