Stitt’s education tax plan

Governor Kevin Stitt recently celebrated the passage of HB 1934, the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit Act, in the House of Representatives by a vote total of 61-31.

“Today is a major victory for parents and students across the state,” said Stitt.

The Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit Act provides the following amount for parents who choose to send their children to a private or charter school outside of their zip code-assigned public school:

$7,500 per student in households earning under $75,000 annually; $7,000 per student in households earning between $75,000 – $100,000 annually; $6,500 per student in households earning between $150,000 – $225,000 annually; $6,000 per student in households earning between $225,000 – $250,000 annually; and, $5,000 per student in households earning over $250,000 annually.

HB 1934 also provides $1,000 per child for parents who choose to homeschool.

The bill now sits in the House of Representatives until it is sent to Stitt’s desk.

Many government officials, educators and education advocates have expressed concerns about the school choice solution.

“But the reality is, and we cannot ignore it, is that 90% of our kids go to public schools across this state,” State Rep. Meloyde Blancett of District 78 said. “We have to ask ourselves, ‘Are we doing 90% of our kids justice by doing this?”

“We know this is a gift for the rich,” State Rep. Regina Goodwin of District 73 said. “The very students that are going to most benefit are going to be children that are in private schools. Not the 90% that we’ve been talking about.

House Speaker Charles McCall captured the bill after similar statements were made on the House floor.

McCall is holding HB 1934 from going to the governor’s desk until lawmakers can agree on a public education funding plan.

“On some future legislative date, I might like to reconsider the vote,” House Speaker McCall said.

Regardless of the bill’s capture, Stitt called the May 2 announcement a “major victory for parents and students across the state.”

“With the House’s action today, we have made transformative change to improve education outcomes for Oklahoma students. I am grateful to all members of the Legislature who have stood with parents and gotten school choice across the finish line.”

According to privateschoolreview.com, for the 2023 school year, there were 220 private schools serving 38,552 students in Oklahoma, while there were 1,791 public schools serving 694,253 students. Only 5% of all K-12 students in Oklahoma are educated in private schools, compared to the national average of 10%.

As of May 2022, 703,719 students were enrolled in public schools in the state, according to the Oklahoma State School Board Association.