Block grants could help more money reach schools directly, said Gov. Kevin Stitt.
On March 25, Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters requested block grants from the federal government rather than typical funding through the Department of Education, with the support of the state House and Senate.
When asked what parameters would be taken to ensure that the funds went where they were needed, especially in light of news breaking on March 27 that Supt. Walters had awarded almost $600,000 in bonuses to employees last year, the governor stated he hadn’t known about the bonuses. He then said he had met with the speaker and pro tem about setting up guidelines since the funding comes with more flexibility.
“We want to make sure it’s spent exactly how it is today. It gets to Poteau and Miami and Chandler and Seminole, and it gets to the schools and the districts that need it, whether it’s for, you know, free and reduced lunches or it’s on special needs,” he said.
The governor added that they are following the rules set at the federal level, and he is trying to encourage teachers that all the money is the same.
“Ultimately, if they spend the same amount from the feds, we actually should get more money because it’s not going up there. It’s just more flexibility here, and then our legislature is going to have to put some parameters around that, but at this point, they’re still looking at what that would look like,” he said.
He also said that he intends to continue funding public education at record levels and encouraged more options and speciality schools.
“So I want your industries here in Chandler to think about how do they set up more apprenticeships to actually start training the workforce that we need right here in Chandler,” he said.
Stitt was in Chandler on March 27 to speak at a Chandler Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon, where he spoke more in-depth about his top three priorities - capital tax reduction, behind the meter and business courts.
The governor said he wanted Oklahoma to be the most business-friendly state.
“Everything I think about is how I can be more business-friendly. How I can get government out of the way and let you guys thrive, right?” he said.
Gov. Stitt spoke about his plan to reduce income and business tax by half a point, putting the state on the path to zero. He said this would make the state more competitive and would slow the growth of government. When asked by an attendee if certain milestones need to be hit to trigger the drop, Gov. Stitt said that there would be and that revenue would have to go up by a certain amount before anything happens.
“Nothing happens unless you hit that $200 million or $400 million, or however they write that bill, with an increase in revenue. So it would be a long time before you got to zero. And I don’t even know if we have to get to zero, but let’s get to a three-handle, so we’re in our competition, and then maybe we level up,” he said.
Gov. Stitt then spoke about Behind the Meter, emphasizing that Oklahoma doesn’t want to lose the advantage in energy generation, especially as other states are currently unable to focus on that. President Donald Trump recently announced a $20 billion investment into data centers, mentioning Oklahoma; however, if the state asks for permission from the Southwest Power Grid, it could take several years.
“So we need to allow companies, manufacturing, to be able, with our pipelines and our natural gas, to be able to put gas turbines and build generation for that specific company,” the governor said.
On business courts, Gov. Stitt said Oklahoma passed legislature last year regarding these and the plans are currently being finalized. They will be set up in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The idea is that whenever there’s a business dispute, they will go through the special court system.
Stitt said this will attract bigger companies to the state, especially as states such as Delaware are “allowing politics to get involved” in their business court systems.
“It really doesn’t affect a lot of us, but for a business headquarters, it’s a big deal, and it’s something that’s going to continue to create more and more jobs here,” he said.