Garvin's bill would lift carryover caps on school funding

State Senator Jessica Garvin is hoping her bill that would remove carryover caps for school district general funds will garner the support of superintendents.
At least one leading school official said she likes the idea which has some critical advantages. Melanie Howell, superintendent of Newcastle Public Schools, said allowing districts to carry over funds from one school year to another can aid in paying salaries and meeting unexpected financial burdens.
Newcastle schools are in Garvin’s Senate district and Howell has been part of a learning group that seeks to provide advice to the senator on key issues.
“It’s important to lift that cap,” Howell said. “We need to be able to use that money for other things. It allows you to staff longer and strategically respond to situations. It (cap) would ensure payroll for the beginning of the next school year, and we would feel secure dealing with unexpected budget cuts.”
Before giving her full support, Howell said she wants to read the entire bill and find out if additional reporting requirements are needed.
Garvin, the Republican senator from Duncan, said she filed the legislation to improve accountability and transparency of school district funding. Senate Bill 1126 would remove the carryover caps and general funds and require those carryover amounts be reported to the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Currently, the state’s school funding formula penalizes districts for having carryover funds at the end of a fiscal year.
“This often forces districts to make impulse purchases, that aren’t necessarily needed, just so they don’t lose the funds,” Garvin said. “However, by allowing funds to be carried over, they could use their money more efficiently. This also would allow districts to create long-term strategic plans for improving educational outcomes like facility upgrades, additional incentives for hiring and retaining teachers and support personnel, and investing in new technology.” 
The bill would further modify the School District Transparency Act by adding school district carryover funds to the list of financial information to be published online by the state education department. School district and school site expenditures of state, federal, and local funds are already available online.
“I’m excited to have worked on this important legislation with school leadership across Senate District 43, the Senate’s education policy expert, members of the State Board of Education and Education Secretary Ryan Walters.” Garvin said. “We need to untie our schools’ hands when it comes to their carryover funds and let them make responsible, thoughtful financial decisions based on their needs, not calendar deadlines.”
Two other members of Garvin’s learning group – Duncan Superintendent Tom Deighan and Marlow Superintendent George Coffman – could not be reached for comment.
The Senate measure will be considered when the Oklahoma Legislature convenes Feb. 7.