A Focus on Education Funding
January 29th, 2010
DURANT, Okla. – Hello again, everybody! The Oklahoma Legislature is back in session, dealing with one of the greatest budget challenges ever.
Many have asked why education funding is in danger. Oklahomans were given the impression the lottery would “fix” education. That was the clear point of the advertising campaign successfully used to persuade voters to approve the lottery. That impression was and is not reality.
The fact is the lottery was never a cure-all for school funding, nor was it ever going to be enough of a life raft should the economy decline as badly as it did. It simply puts into the education funding mix more dollars than would have been there if voters had rejected the lottery in the 2004 election.
Voters in passing the law specified that 45 percent of lottery funds would go to prizes, while education programs would get 35 percent. Lottery administration, including advertising, would get the remaining 20 percent.
Of percentage allocated to education, public schools generally get about half at 45 percent. Both the School Consolidation Assistance Fund and the Teachers Retirement Dedicated Revenue Fund get five percent each.
Higher education gets 40.5 percent of lottery revenues and career-technology schools get 4.43 percent. Rehabilitative Services got a one-time $250,000 allocation, which is the remaining .07 percent of the money raised by the lottery.
Voters gave the Legislature the authority to decide where common education’s portion would go. Given our state’s relatively low teacher pay, we in the Legislature put the dollars into teachers’ salaries, helping Oklahoma teacher pay move closer to the regional average.
Putting the money toward teacher salaries meant it would go through the School Funding Formula rather than be a budget line item. That is why it is impossible to “see” lottery funds in classrooms. A recent advertising campaign for the lottery blurs the facts as it speaks to things like school buses and microscopes the lottery money could buy.
The Lottery Commission also has asked the Legislature to reduce the percentage of lottery money going to education in order to increase lottery prizes. The hope is that would increase the number of tickets that are sold.
I will vigorously oppose any effort to change the law approved by Oklahomans. The people spoke and it would be a violation of trust to go back on the directions you gave us at the ballot box.
The lottery was never designed to “fix” education; still, the dollars it generates are going where the people sent them. Education faces perilous times, along with every state service. There will be significant cuts in every agency – even in school funding.
Even so, I will use every legislative means at my disposal to protect education’s share of the available resources. Dollars reflect schools’ ability to educate all our children, including mine; and, nothing is more important than the future of our children.
Thanks again for reading the “Senate Minute.” Have a great week, and may God bless you all.