Education Leaders Against Oklahoma Budget Proposal

Education leaders are already coming out against the most recent budget proposal at the Capitol.

Lawmakers are touting the plan as being a "flat" budget for education, but district leaders disagree.

Already, school districts are making cuts and freezing teaching positions.

El Reno's superintendent claims keeping funding flat hurts class size. Right now, six teaching positions haven’t been filled in the district of 3,000 students.

“That money can’t go to the future. The future would have been making our class size at 20 to 18 instead of making a class size at 25,” said El Reno Schools Superintendent Craig McVay.

The Oklahoma State School Boards Association is now encouraging lawmakers to vote down the latest budget proposal.

It claims Senate Bill 860 puts schools on the hook for $20 million in additional teacher healthcare cost and does nothing to reduce classroom size.

The OSSBA claims the addition cost would cost a school district the size of El Reno the equivalent of two teacher salaries.