Kevin Stitt Wants To Give Schools Districts More Control Over Spending

Kevin Stitt said in April he did not support tax increases tied to teacher pay raises. He supports a competitive wage for teachers and thinks the solution for that is giving districts more control over their own spending. 

Kevin Stitt talks a lot about incentives used by businesses to get better results. Stitt says incentives would improve the cost and results of education in Oklahoma.

"That is really important that we fix our funding formula that hasn't been fixed since Henry Bellmon was governor," says Stitt.

The last legislative session was dominated by education, the teacher pay raise, walkout and debate over more funding. Stitt believes districts should decide how best to spend the combination of local and state tax dollars.

“We're so equalized there's no incentive to do anything more and we've got to create that balance. We can't let poor districts fall behind, but we have to incentivize districts to do more, pay their teachers better to get smaller class sizes, get smarter and invest in technology, all the things we see other states do," says Stitt.

There is a state question on the November ballot to give districts more control over spending, including using property taxes for everyday costs not just for buildings.

Read Also: Mick Cornett Says He's Logged 60,000 Miles On The Campaign Trail

News 9 and News On 6 will feature stories on the Stitt and Cornett campaigns leading up to the runoff election on August 28, 2018.