Post by Logan on Jun 13, 2016 7:36:16 GMT -6
'Painful reality': State Board of Education approves $38 million in cuts to school activities budge
The Oklahoma State Board of Education on Friday approved a school activities budget that prioritizes teachers’ retirement and the SoonerStart intervention program for disabled babies and toddlers but leaves much else on the cutting-room floor.
Eliminated were state support for school professional development; bonuses for psychologists, speech pathologists and audiologists; parent education; financial literacy; and Ag in the Classroom programs.
“Education did fare better than many other agencies in the state budget,” said State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister. “However, that effort — though it was a truly remarkable effort to keep education the top priority — that does not negate that this is a painful reality.”
In crafting a new state budget for 2017, lawmakers shifted funds to ensure that state aid — the largest source of state funding for local schools — remains level. But in doing so, they dictated that several other education funding sources be slashed — including almost 30 percent of the state’s “school activities” budget, often referred to as “education line items.”
Read more: www.tulsaworld.com/news/education/painful-reality-state-board-of-education-approves-million-in-cuts/article_bf8f2ce1-c072-5118-84ab-9ce951b51c68.html
The Oklahoma State Board of Education on Friday approved a school activities budget that prioritizes teachers’ retirement and the SoonerStart intervention program for disabled babies and toddlers but leaves much else on the cutting-room floor.
Eliminated were state support for school professional development; bonuses for psychologists, speech pathologists and audiologists; parent education; financial literacy; and Ag in the Classroom programs.
“Education did fare better than many other agencies in the state budget,” said State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister. “However, that effort — though it was a truly remarkable effort to keep education the top priority — that does not negate that this is a painful reality.”
In crafting a new state budget for 2017, lawmakers shifted funds to ensure that state aid — the largest source of state funding for local schools — remains level. But in doing so, they dictated that several other education funding sources be slashed — including almost 30 percent of the state’s “school activities” budget, often referred to as “education line items.”
Read more: www.tulsaworld.com/news/education/painful-reality-state-board-of-education-approves-million-in-cuts/article_bf8f2ce1-c072-5118-84ab-9ce951b51c68.html