Choice Remarks

mark and avoid, Tulsa

Not only will we not repeal it, we’re going to strengthen and expand it. Specifically: Level the playing field so that choice students, rather than receiving only $7,500, could receive the same amount of funding (except for federal funds) as public school students. (The NEA found that Oklahoma public schools had revenue of $15,111 per student during the 2024-2025 school year.) Also increase (from the current $1K) the PCTC credit amount for homeschoolers Remove the total cap on PCTC tax credits Move the PCTC deadline from June 15 to August 15

This JD Vance brouhaha sent me to the bookshelf to dust off a book I edited 24 years ago. A chapter by Brian C. Robertson, “A Pro-Family Approach to Child Well-Being,” offered four policy recommendations. The second bullet point has not been enacted, but the other three have (at least in part). What’s more—and this wasn’t in the book—a tax credit of up to $1,000 per child is now allowed for Oklahomans who educate their preschoolers at home.

Oklahoma should collect U.S. citizenship and immigration documentation during #oklaed public-school enrollment, and charge tuition to cover the full costs of educating unlawful alien students in public schools. Model legislation here: heritage.org/border-security…

Oklahoma taxpayers, through their elected representatives, spend a lot of money on education. The end goal is an educated public. But it doesn’t matter *where* that education takes place. It could be at Ada High School, or at Victory Christian School, or at your kitchen table. Consider the tax dollars that go towards health care. With Medicaid, policymakers don’t say: “You have to go to the heavily unionized, government-owned-and-operated health care facility closest to your house.” No. That would be goofy. Patients can choose private doctors and hospitals. Or how about the tax dollars spent on poverty relief? With SNAP (food stamps), policymakers don’t say: “You have to go to the heavily unionized, government-owned-and-operated grocery store closest to your house.” No. Shoppers can choose private grocery stores. So it is with education. Sure, #okleg is spending record-high amounts on public education. But given the dubious return on investment they’re getting, lawmakers have rightly concluded that they can get more bang for their buck by investing in school-choice programs, too.

“The way Oklahoma elects school boards could hardly be less democratic if the ballots were kept in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.’” It’s time for #okleg to move elections to Election Day. ocpathink.org/post/analysis/…

That’s $302,220 for a classroom of 20 kids.

The NEA says Oklahoma public schools have revenue of $15,111 per student. nea.org/resource-library/edu…

“But there are no private schools in rural Oklahoma!” Well, to be sure, there are more school options in OKC and Tulsa—just as there are more restaurant options, retail stores, etc. None of this is breaking news. Nevertheless, there are private schools in Pryor, Yale, Idabel, Kansas, Ralston, Bristow, Eucha, Sulphur, Vinita, Chelsea, Durant, Pawhuska, Sallisaw, El Reno, Fairview, Mannford, Grove, Paden, Hillsdale, Hugo, Miami, Guthrie, Altus, Guymon, and other towns. And thanks in part to the Parental Choice Tax Credit, new private schools are beginning to open. There’s no reason they can’t spring up in rural Oklahoma. In the end, though, school choice is about choice. And for many, many people, a rural public school is a good choice. #oklaed #okleg

“The current Nebraska system, like so many in this country, unconstitutionally pressures parents to abandon their choice of educational speech and to adopt government views.” aei.org/commentary/public-sc…

How big of a State Department of Education does #oklaed really need? “Oklahoma could fund its public schools with no more than a handful of state employees involved, to gather data and program the check-writing machines.” ocpathink.org/post/analysis/…

#OKleg should ban illegal immigrants from receiving the Parental Choice Tax Credit. Also, collect U.S. citizenship and immigration documentation during public-school enrollment, and charge tuition to cover the full costs of educating unlawful alien students in public schools.

A new school year is upon us, and the Oklahoma Tax Commission reports that 3,086 children in families on welfare (SNAP, TANF, etc.) were approved for the state’s largest private-school choice program this school year. In addition, 7,164 children in families with income of $75,000 and less were approved. Even though the above Oklahomans qualify for a maximum tax credit of $7,500, their average tax credit was less than that. (Yes, average private-school tuition in this state is less than most people realize.)  So yes, school choice helps lower-income folks, as it should. But beyond that, it helps ALL Oklahomans, as it should.  After all, taxpayers subsidize public schools. A multimillionaire can send his child to a public school in Deer Creek or Bixby. Surely no one is proposing that we means-test public schools.  Should we say to Oklahomans who work hard and earn a lot of money that their kids are not eligible to attend any public school which boasts a palatial athletic complex? Or any public school which has a $2 million media center with its own café?  No. Whether it’s a public school or private-school choice, everyone pays and everyone is eligible. #okleg

Perhaps you’ve heard the complaint that most of Oklahoma’s private-school choice participants were already in private schools anyway. Far from being the gotcha that many critics seem to think it is, this is simply the early-adopter effect. Whether it’s iPhones or 529 accounts or electric vehicle tax credits, the most informed, motivated consumers are the early adopters. School choice is no different.  The already-enrolled families are the low-hanging fruit. Over time, as public school families begin to discover that the program exists, then the proportion of public-school switchers begins to increase. We know this from Arizona, Florida, and other states with more mature school-choice ecosystems.  In any case, the families who have been paying private school tuition for many years (while also paying taxes for public schools they didn’t use) have FINALLY gotten the fair treatment they deserve. #oklaed #okleg