A building block for top 10 status

As a proud Oklahoman, I am inspired by Gov. Kevin Stitt's vision of making us a “top 10” state, and I believe education will be the starting point for our turnaround. Improving educational outcomes, of course, will require additional funding; but they also will require us to harness the resources and ingenuity of the private sector. That is happening, with the help of the “Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Act.” The law provides a 50 percent tax credit to individuals and corporate donors that support unique and innovative educational programs in rural public schools. Donations are administered by nonprofits like the Catalyst Ed Fund, which has doled out hundreds of thousands of dollars to support public school programs in STEM and the arts. Catalyst's investments include innovative training programs for teachers, college readiness prep for students and support for unique technology initiatives like Chickasha High School's robotics team. Equal Opportunity Scholarships also help students seeking to attend private school. Some of these students have special needs; some are victims of bullying; others are just looking for the best possible education. In my district, for instance, Cristo Rey OKC Catholic High School provides a low-cost, high-quality college prep education where every student relies on financial support from Opportunity Scholarships. Without these scholarships, Cristo Rey would be unable to offer the same kind of affordable education to a traditionally underserved, minority-dominated community. Opportunity Scholarships are not just helping individual students and schools, they are saving the state money. A report from Oklahoma City University's Meinders School of Business concluded that state government saved $1.39 for every $1 spent on Opportunity Scholarships (because children receiving these scholarships exit the public school system and no longer incur costs). Despite its track record of success, this program is being held back by monetary caps that limit its impact. For instance, only public schools in districts that have fewer than 4,500 students are eligible to receive financial assistance. Furthermore, the ceiling on the state's total tax credit payouts is capped at $5 million. When that threshold is met, donors get shorted and don't receive their full payment. If the Equal Opportunity Scholarship program is to continue to aid in the mission of making Oklahoma a top 10 state for education, these limits must be adjusted. To that end, I have filed House Bill 2621, which allows larger public school districts to benefit from the program and raises the tax credit donation cap to $60 million annually. HB 2621 is an investment in a successful public-private partnership. I am hopeful my colleagues in the Legislature will join me in supporting innovative education solutions like this one.

Echols, R-Oklahoma City, is majority floor leader in the Oklahoma House.