OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt called for changes in the state’s education funding formula, took steps to rebuild his relationship with members of the legislature and called for a meeting with tribal leaders to develop policy in the fallout of the U.S. Supreme Court’s McGirt decision during his state of the state speech Monday.
Stitt, a Republican, delivered his third State of the State speech to a limited audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The speech was also broadcast on OETA. Stitt said he respected the constitutional authority of the both the House and Senate and pledged to work with lawmakers to have “the best and most productive session in state history.”
Stitt also praised lawmakers for their work last year – even though those same lawmakers overrode several of the governor’s vetoes.
“I also want to credit my colleagues in the House and Senate for their wisdom and careful thinking during last year’s session,” the governor said. “Our state was reeling from a massive drop in oil prices and 13% unemployment, but you recognized the uncertainty and wisely held the budget to 78% of the spending authority while still providing core services.”
FIGHTING COVID
The legislature’s fiscal prudence was one of the reasons why state leaders “have the opportunity we do today, and I thank you for the challenging decisions you made,” Stitt said.
“It’s because of these tough decisions – reopening our economy, how we spent our COVID Relief Funds across the state, and the Legislature’s careful budget – that the Fiscal Year 2022 predictions are much better than many states,” he said.
Oklahoma, the governor said, rose to the challenge of fighting the pandemic.
“We made sacrifices; we took care of our most vulnerable; we shifted; we innovated, but we were not defeated,” he said. “For the last 11 months, my promise has been to protect the health and lives of Oklahomans, to keep our businesses open safely and to get our kids safely back in school.”
Stitt said the state was “months and months ahead” of other states in fighting the pandemic. “I’ve kept my promise to follow the data and make the right decisions for Oklahoma at the right time,” he said.
GETTING SCHOOLS BACK TO IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION
The governor also called for increased efforts to get students back into public schools. He said in almost every district in Oklahoma, parents and students have an option to choose to go back to the classroom but called for public schools to reopen and hold in-person classes.
“To the school districts that have innovated and followed the data to offer safe, in-person instruction — on behalf of your parents, and the future of our state, I can’t thank you enough,” he said. “You’re providing an important safety net to our children, and you’re the glue that holds many of our communities together.”
Distance learning is perfectly fine for some students the governor said, “but when we force it on everyone, it widens achievement gaps and jeopardizes our future as a Top Ten state.”
“Our kids deserve the option to be in their classrooms,” he said.
Stitt also used his speech to call for changes in the way the state funded its public schools. Currently per-pupil funding is based on a three-year average. That system allows the school to pick the year with the highest number of students for the formula. Stitt said he wants to change that.
“Say you lived in Tulsa and moved to a new district to make sure your kids could go to school in person. Your kids could be counted by both districts. They’re called ‘ghost students,’ he said. “We’re sending money to districts to educate kids who don’t go there, and that’s simply not fair.”
Stitt said there are more than 55,000 ghost students in the funding formula right now and “that means we’re allocating close to $200 million of your tax dollars to students who don’t exist.”
This is unacceptable, the governor said. “It’s time for schools to be funded based on how many students they have now — not how many they had in the past,” he said.
ADDRESSING SOVEREIGNTY WITH TRIBAL LEADERS
Calling it one of the most pressing issues for our state’s future, Stitt called for increased dialogue between the state and tribal leaders in the wake of the U.S Supreme Court’s McGirt ruling. That ruling, the governor said, questions the sovereignty of the state as we’ve known it since 1907.
“We have a shared responsibility to live as one Oklahoma regardless of your race or where you live,” the governor said. “We drive on the same roads; our kids go to the same schools and we benefit from the same programs.”
Stitt said it was critical – while, at the same time, embracing the tribal heritage of many Oklahomans — that state leaders not lose sight of the fact that we are all Oklahomans. “I’ve invited the leaders of Oklahoma’s sovereign tribes to join together and work with the State of Oklahoma,” he said. “Together, we must create the certainty, fairness and the unity we’ve enjoyed since 1907.”
Where we go from here, he said, will define the state’s future.
The First Session of the 58th Oklahoma Legislature opened Monday. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, lawmakers have four months to complete their work.