Restore Education Funding

“I am reminded of an old cattleman saying: ‘You can’t starve a dollar out of a cow.’ … Starving education through lack of funding to force change in hopes of better performance will not work and is not working.”

-Retired Tulsa Public Schools police chief Gary Rudick

Oklahoma has made the largest cuts to school funding in the nation.

• Oklahoma schools are struggling with a serious teacher shortage, and many of our most talented educators are leaving for other professions or surrounding states where they can get much better pay.
• Lawmakers have imposed stringent new testing and accountability mandates without new funding. Numerous unfunded mandates are draining time and resources from the classroom.

Oklahomans Agree…

With few exceptions, the states where workers earn the highest wages are the states with the most educated citizens. Oklahoma should step up investment in its education system, for our children and our economic future.

What you can do:

• Contact Your Legislators and tell them to prioritize education funding over tax cuts and tax breaks
• Engage Your Community
• Join Our Grassroots Movement

More resources:

• Fact Sheet: Restore Education Funding (Together Oklahoma)
• Fact Sheet: Investing in Education is Key for Growth and Job Creation (Oklahoma Policy Institute)
• ABCs of School Finance (Edmond Public Schools CFO Lori Smith)
• Oklahoma continues to lead U.S. for deepest cuts to education (OK Policy Blog)