Oklahoman
More than 180 Oklahoma school districts have joined a lawsuit fighting a surprise settlement that opened local tax dollars to charter schools.
The Oklahoma State Board of Education shocked the state s education sphere on March 25 when it unexpectedly settled a 2017 lawsuit with the Oklahoma Public Charter School Association. The board agreed to allow charter schools and virtual charter schools to tap into local tax revenue, which was previously reserved for traditional school districts.
Fearing the settlement could divert millions of dollars from traditional public schools, 187 districts representing urban, suburban and rural areas of the state asked the Oklahoma State Supreme Court on Friday to nullify the state board s decision.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Norman Fraternal Order of the Police, deciding the Norman City Council violated the state Open Meeting Act in its June 16 meeting.Â
In that meeting, Norman City Council members voted to cut $865,000 from a proposed increase to the Norman Police Departmentâs budget. In December 2020, Carter County Associate Judge Thomas K. Baldwin ruled the council violated the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act because the language used in the notice released prior to the meeting was âdeceptively wordedâ and âmaterially obscuredâ the meetingâs purpose, not indicated clearly the action the council would take.
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