Post by pavel on Jan 28, 2016 4:55:53 GMT -6
Schools could get more spending flexibility to help cope with state funding cuts
There may be no end in sight to state budget cuts for Oklahoma’s public schools, but officials are looking for ways to clip the strings attached to some of the money that remains.
On Thursday, the State Board of Education will be asked to grant flexibility to local school districts in how they use the balance of state funding previously restricted for four specific purposes.
Matt Holder, chief operations officer at the Oklahoma State Department of Education, estimates that about $30 million remains from the $32.7 million restricted for helping students pass the state’s third-grade reading test and high school End of Instruction exams, for alternative education offerings and for professional development for employees.
“We are not doing away with any of these mandates. Schools are still going to be required to meet all of the mandates of ACE (the Achieving Classroom Excellence Act) and Reading Sufficiency, but it is going to give them some flexibility with how they use those dollars between now and June 30,” Holder said.
Read more: www.tulsaworld.com/news/education/schools-could-get-more-spending-flexibility-to-help-cope-with/article_f9d4232a-b078-551e-b7ab-71b66138ce99.html
There may be no end in sight to state budget cuts for Oklahoma’s public schools, but officials are looking for ways to clip the strings attached to some of the money that remains.
On Thursday, the State Board of Education will be asked to grant flexibility to local school districts in how they use the balance of state funding previously restricted for four specific purposes.
Matt Holder, chief operations officer at the Oklahoma State Department of Education, estimates that about $30 million remains from the $32.7 million restricted for helping students pass the state’s third-grade reading test and high school End of Instruction exams, for alternative education offerings and for professional development for employees.
“We are not doing away with any of these mandates. Schools are still going to be required to meet all of the mandates of ACE (the Achieving Classroom Excellence Act) and Reading Sufficiency, but it is going to give them some flexibility with how they use those dollars between now and June 30,” Holder said.
Read more: www.tulsaworld.com/news/education/schools-could-get-more-spending-flexibility-to-help-cope-with/article_f9d4232a-b078-551e-b7ab-71b66138ce99.html