House Democrats push back on measure allocating public tax dollars to private schools advancing House
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma House Democratic members raised concerns over the passage of HB 3705 off the House Floor. HB 3705 increases the annual cap for the Parental Choice Tax Credit from $250 million to $275 million. “We are effectively appropriating $275M in public tax dollars toward private schools while our public schools lack critical investments and remain the lowest ranked in the nation,” said House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City. “Our teachers, students, parents, and support staff have all been clear about their needs, but Republican leadership has failed to listen to them. It was reported that 90% of the recipients of this voucher were already sending their children to private schools. While I am grateful our teachers are getting a much needed pay raise, $2,000 still does not make us competitive in the region and we continue to leave behind support staff. Not to mention, tying a teacher pay raise to private school funding is offensive. $275M would be transformative for our public schools and allow for an even higher teacher pay raise than what has been proposed by Republican leaders. An investment in public schools is an investment in Oklahoma. In this year’s budget, every additional dollar appropriated to public education is attached to a new mandate by the Legislature. If we are going to put public dollars into private schools, we should require the same requirements, oversight, and transparency from private schools as we do public schools. I am proud today to continue advocating for public education and standing with our families who send their children to public schools.” House Democratic Assistant Leader Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa, debated against the measure. "Not every kid. Not every parent," said Provenzano. "In 2023, the PCTC was originally billed as a way for low-income students to gain access to private schools. Today, less than 1% of students receiving the voucher come from low-income families. What happened? “I begrudge no parent who wishes to send their child to a private school, but taxpayers statewide should not subsidize tuition unless every Oklahoma parent who wants it has the same access to the private school of their choice. We're better off investing those dollars statewide in our public schools, who are required by our constitution to accept all students. School choice for me but not for thee is not a responsible or ethical way to govern." Rep. Ellen Pogemiller, D-Oklahoma City, also debated against the measure, arguing that parents are not looking to move their children out of public schools into private schools. “Families who choose to send their children to public schools continue to choose public schools, even when subsidies are provided to incentivize families to choose private schools,” said Pogemiller. “The Parental Choice Tax Credit subsidy is mainly being provided to families who are already attending private schools, 24% of whom make over $250K a year. The funds from this subsidy are concentrated in wealthy, urban areas while 61 counties in Oklahoma receive less than 1% of the subsidy. 5 counties in Oklahoma do not even receive enough of the subsidy to be given a percentage. This measure does not support Oklahomans who need it most. If we took the $275M from this subsidy toward our public schools, we would virtually send $338 to every public school student in Oklahoma. “Taking $275M from out of general revenue every year to go toward private schools and the wealthiest Oklahomans means $275M that are not going toward critical services in Oklahoma like childcare. Instead, this body has passed a budget that will cut childcare subsidies starting July 1, which means a family of four who makes above $51,665.35 will no longer have access to the childcare services they need. Childcare services have sounded the alarm that this will result in many of them being forced to close their doors. Now is not the time to expand subsidies to families who can afford private schools. It is time to ensure Oklahoma families have access to the childcare services they need so they don’t have to choose between staying in the workforce and taking care of their families. Now is the time to prioritize real solutions for real issues being faced by working Oklahoma families, and this measure does not do that.” -END-