Oklahoman
Oklahoma public schools will receive $1.5 billion in stimulus funds this month, nearly doubling the amount of federal aid distributed to school districts since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act into law last week. The stimulus package includes $122.8 billion for K-12 schools nationwide.
The plan will inject 2.2 times the amount school districts received in their second stimulus allocation, according to the Oklahoma State School Boards Association. The first two aid packages, approved in May and January under the Trump Administration, included $145 million and $665 million for Oklahoma schools respectively.
The funding allotted to each district is based on the amount its schools receive in federal Title I funds, as was the case with the first two stimulus packages. This means districts with the most high-need and impoverished students will receive greater allocations.
The state funding formula is designed to cover the gap between local revenue and the amount necessary to have quality schools in each community. Charter schools, like Epic, receive no local tax revenue and nearly all funding comes from the state.
Hilbert said preventing a sustained windfall to Epic is one of the reasons he proposed the measure.
“The district with the most to lose is Epic, because they got as high as 60,000 students at one point, and they’ll be able to use that for two years after this year if we don’t change the law,” Hilbert said on the House floor Wednesday.
The Enid News and Eagle /The Enid News and Eagle
Ryan Walters, Gov. Kevin Stittâs secretary of education, speaks during a news conference Dec. 17 at the state Capitol. Ben Felder / The Frontier
Gov. Kevin Stitt is pushing for a more robust open transfer policy and structural changes to the stateâs school funding formula, two significant education policies the governor believes will empower parents and help the stateâs fastest-growing school systems.
On Monday, during his annual State of the State address, the first-term governor referenced both as goals for the new legislative session.
He also used the term âghost studentsâ to refer to the state funding schools receive for students who may no longer attend.
Tuesday, February 2nd 2021, 10:25 pm
By: Barry Mangold
GRADY COUNTY -
An Oklahoma school district is using a new quarantine policy that allows students who have been exposed to COVID-19 to stay in in-person classes.
Minco Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Sims said when Gov. Kevin Stitt unveiled the policy last month, he was skeptical initially.
“It always crosses your mind, Is this the right thing to do? ” Sims said. “This is no different.”
This week, Sims said a middle school student tested positive for the virus. The district confirmed about 12 other students had been exposed but have not displayed symptoms.
OSSAA Fights To Have More Fans In Attendance During Playoff Games news9.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from news9.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.