Pro Tem Treat Comments on Opening of School Choice Application Period

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, today released the following statement on the beginning of the initial application period for the Parental Choice Tax Credit program passed last session. 

The enrollment period begins Friday, Dec. 1 at 8:30 a.m.

“I have always been a strong advocate for school choice, and I believe in giving parents more options in their kids’ education,” Pro Tem Treat said. “School choice is about empowering parents, giving underserved students an education tailored to their needs and providing opportunities to low-income families who need help. This will also incentivize schools to better meet the needs of students when they know parents can go elsewhere. More options and more opportunities will produce better education outcomes. 

“I continue to thank my Senate and House colleagues who made this come to fruition, and Governor Stitt who signed it into law, while being a consistent advocate for this measure. I also appreciate the Tax Commission for their extensive work in expediting this process and having everything ready to go by this Friday’s enrollment period. While I know there will be more questions and there may need to be legislative fixes in the future, school choice will be a wonderful thing for Oklahomans.”

Moving forward, Pro Tem Treat would like to see a second enrollment period and better alignment with the school year to provide additional opportunities for parents.   

The Parental Choice Tax Credit program provides a refundable income tax credit of $5,000 to $7,500 for eligible Oklahoma Taxpayers who pay, or expect to pay, qualified expenses such as tuition and fees to an eligible private school on behalf of an eligible student that attends or plans to attend a private school during that tax year. In an effort to help those most at need, the credit is structured to prioritize Oklahoma families who make less than $75,000 per year.

For more information on the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit, click here: https://www.parentalchoice.ok.gov/.

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