OKLAHOMA CITY – The State Department of Education recently disbursed half of $38.5 million to 330 public schools statewide – including at least 34 in southwest Oklahoma – via Redbud School Grants.
The funds are earmarked for acquiring and improving school buildings.
The first-half allocation of the funds occurred in January, while funds collected between January and June will be allocated in June. The State Department of Education provides the grants with funding appropriated from medical marijuana taxes and the Common School Building Equalization Fund.
This grant allocation is a result of Senate Bill 229 enacted during the 2021 legislative session, which provides additional funding to school districts and eligible charter schools to equalize the amount each receives for school buildings. The legislation addresses funding disparities for brick-and-mortar public school districts that receive below-average funding from annual local tax revenue.
SB 229, which was enacted during the 2021 legislative session, was authored by Sen. John Michael Montgomery, R-Lawton, and Rep. Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow. Co-authors of the measure included Reps. Trey Caldwell, R-Lawton; Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin; Daniel Pae, R-Lawton; and Marcus McEntire, R-Duncan; along with Sen. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan.
“These funds are a victory for thousands of Oklahoma schoolchildren being educated in public school districts and charter schools across the state,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister. “These funds will ensure that students, regardless of district, have building spaces that meet their needs through renovations, maintenance and additional facilities.”
School districts and charter schools below the state average per student in local property taxes for the building fund and the countywide millage are eligible to receive Redbud School Grants. Additionally, charter schools must provide in-person or blended instruction to a minimum of two-thirds of enrolled students as the primary means of instruction in order to receive Redbud funds. Statewide virtual charter schools are not eligible.
Supt. Kevin Hime said Lawton Public Schools are considering a couple of possibilities for their $949,534 Redbud grant. “We’ve been working on school beautification projects, and we still have a couple of elementary schools that need ‘safe rooms’,” he said. “We may allow the Redbud grants we receive this year to accumulate, which would give us close to $2 million, or we may combine those with other funds. We’re not exactly sure just yet.”
Elgin schools will use their $171,663 Redbud grant “to make repairs and upgrades to existing buildings, as well as consider use of the funds toward new construction,” Supt. Nate Meraz told Southwest Ledger. “A very special thanks to Senator Montgomery for authoring this measure.”
Altus Public Schools will use their $243,015 grant “to repair existing facilities,” Supt. Roe Worbes said.
The Ledger also reached out to Marlow, Temple and Walters school officials for details about their grants but received no responses.
“This was commonsense legislation that creates parity for districts where tax valuations are lesser than in others,” Hilbert said.
“The Redbud School Funding Act was a historic step for funding education in our state,” Montgomery said. “Ensuring all of Oklahoma’s children have access to a high-quality education is a priority, and I’ll continue to work to find outside-of-the-box solutions to bolster our schools.”
Redbud School Funding Grants are in addition to the Republican-dominated Legislature’s expansion of funding for public education to historic levels over the past five years, the two lawmakers said. For example, they said, last year the Legislature addressed disparities in the school funding formula and delivered a record high appropriation to education.