Fallin says ‘Rainy Day’ has come for schools, prisons

Gov. Mary Fallin proposed on Monday removing money from the state’s Rainy Day Fund to help common education and corrections. She suggested using $51 million for public schools and $21 million for corrections. Her request requires legislative approval.

Gov. Mary Fallin proposed on Monday withdrawing $72 million from the state’s Rainy Day Fund to help schools and prisons absorb recent budget cuts.

Common Education would get $51 million, and $21 million would go to the Department of Corrections.

The proposal would require legislative approval.

Sen. Clark Jolley, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the Republican caucus favors the idea.

“We recognize the importance of those two areas of funding,” said Jolley, R-Edmond.

Rep. Bobby Cleveland, R-Slaughterville, said he believes the House would approve it, as well.

Fallin said the withdrawal is needed to ward off major problems.

“Four-day school weeks and draconian cuts at prisons are not acceptable and are not going to happen,” she said.

“This is the most responsible option available today to keep vital state services at acceptable levels until the Legislature and I reach agreement on the recurring revenues necessary to fund these services in the long run.”

The state is not taking in enough revenue to cover expenses, which has created a so-called revenue failure and forced it to make two rounds of cuts to agency allocations.

The first 3 percent cut was ordered in December, and a 4 percent cut was announced last week. Those cuts equate to $27.58 million for Corrections and $109.2 million for Common Education.

Friday, state schools Superintendent Joy Hofmeister asked Fallin for $56.2 million in emergency funding.

Hofmeister said the cuts could not be absorbed without “potentially devastating consequences for classroom instruction.”

Corrections Department officials have also said they are having a hard time handling the cut. Prisons are overcrowded and understaffed. Many of the facilities are aging and problematic.

Oklahoma Education Association President Alicia Priest said Common Education badly needs money.

She said schools were contemplating cutting staff and programs.

“If state revenue is compared to a spring thunderstorm, then we’re facing torrential rain with flash flooding and softball-sized hail,” she said. “This is why the Rainy Day Fund was created — to fight the floodwaters of shrinking revenue in dire times.”

While lawmakers are trying to deal with current revenue problems, they are also writing a budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

Fallin has called for bolstering revenues for that budget by instituting a $1.50-a-pack cigarette tax, eliminating some sales tax exemptions and putting new sales tax on some services.

“We must put recurring revenues on the table this session, like I proposed in my executive budget, or we will be having this same problem next year, the year after that and years after that,” Fallin said. “The Rainy Day Fund option is a one-time fix, but we need to do the tough work to establish a permanent fix in the budget we pass this session.”