Governor Rejects School District Empowerment Legislation, Senate GOP Reacts

The Governor elected to dismiss vital education reform on Friday by vetoing the School District Empowerment Program, Senate Bill 834.

Senator John Ford, author of SB 834, expressed his disappointment in the Governor’s choosing to neglect the quality reforms Oklahoma schools need.

“Despite the Governor’s veto today, we are still hopeful for reform in Oklahoma’s education system,” said Ford, who represents Craig, Nowata and Washington Counties in the State Senate. “Just because the legislation was vetoed does not mean this is the end of finding ways to enhance education for Oklahoma’s children. I look forward to embracing education opportunities with the help of the Governor, education professionals, the business community and parents to find ways to improve the quality of our education. I think we all can agree that where we currently are is not where we would like to be.”

Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee said this is an unfortunate loss for Oklahoma schools.

“I’m very disappointed in the Governor’s response to this very reasonable and widely-supported reform,” said Coffee. “Our goal was to unleash local school districts to educate their students in a manner most befitting their unique situations. We will continue to work with the Governor and the education establishment to bring positive reform for the benefit of our students.”

The School District Empowerment Program would have removed many of the unfunded state mandates currently restricting the ability of local school districts to best decide how to use resources to benefit their students.