Schools, districts, and education policy in Oklahoma.
The board unanimously passed a resolution requiring the superintendent to present recommendations for at least $12 million in operating budget reductions. Options include school closures, a salary freeze, and program cuts.
A federal appeals panel ruled 2-1 that Oklahoma's law against teaching eight race- or sex-based concepts as fact is not unconstitutionally vague, making Oklahoma the first state with such a law upheld at the appellate level.
The Oklahoma State Department of Education is ending a federal meal option that allowed schools with extended days to serve a third meal, citing compliance failures. Rural districts and more than 50 lawmakers say the change will leave children hungry.
The law requires universal math screening for grades 2-5 three times per year, with intervention plans for students below the 30th percentile, and allocates funds through a weighted formula.
The tuition is nearly double the state's most expensive existing private school. Its accreditation and tax-credit eligibility are unresolved.
Senate Bill 1481 doubles daily recess to 40 minutes, but the state education department's ruling that it no longer counts as instructional time is pushing districts like Oklahoma City and Minco to add 20 minutes to their schedules.