{"id":35583,"date":"2023-02-16T20:02:26","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T02:02:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=35583"},"modified":"2023-02-16T20:02:26","modified_gmt":"2023-02-17T02:02:26","slug":"oklahoma-house-republicans-unveil-500-million-school-funding-increase-alternative-to-vouchers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2023\/02\/16\/oklahoma-house-republicans-unveil-500-million-school-funding-increase-alternative-to-vouchers\/","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma House Republicans unveil $500 million school funding increase, alternative to vouchers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Oklahoma House of Representatives unveiled its legislative priorities for education Thursday, and it\u2019s got two main objectives: give public schools a $500 million funding increase and give parents tax credits to send their kids to private schools.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Like all proposals, bills have to pass through the legislative process before they can become law.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The $500 million increase is divided up like this:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

$150 million would go to across-the-board $2,500 teacher raises. These raises must be added to what teachers are currently being paid, rather than <\/span>other raise proposals<\/span><\/a> that adjust the minimum salary schedule. McCall said this was to prevent schools that already pay over the minimum salary from keeping teachers\u2019 salaries the same and letting the overage pay fill in for the increased salary schedule.<\/span><\/p>

$50 million would go toward addressing funding disparities in districts with below-average revenue from local taxes.<\/span><\/p>

$300 million would be distributed to schools on a per-pupil basis with a cap at $2 million per district. Districts have discretion on how they want to spend the money, but with some guardrails. Expenditures can include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n