Monday, November 17, 2014

Lawmakers look for ways districts can save money

"The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education held an interim study Wednesday on ways Oklahoma's school districts can save money," according to The CEO Briefing, a weekly update from Fred Morgan, president and CEO of the State Chamber of Oklahoma.
Heather Kays, education research fellow with the Heartland Institute, said districts can share administrative and capital costs regionally to provide the benefit of scale. She also outlined studies finding school choice achieved educational benefits while spending taxpayer money more efficiently.

Brent Bushey also spoke. He's executive director of the Oklahoma Public School Resource Center (OPSRC), a nonprofit that provides member school districts with programs aimed to stretch funding dollars. Those include financial management, instructor training, technology systems management and legal services.

Senator Kyle Loveless, who requested the interim study, emphasized that even a little wasteful spending by a school district can have a big impact on the budget when multiplied over 500+ school districts. Senator Loveless encouraged more discussion and urged subcommittee members to move forward to find solutions.

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