OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Governor Mary Fallin has signed a bill that will provide pay increases for school support staff and state employees.
The funding authorized in House Bill 3705 marks a 19.7 percent increase over the $2.4 billion appropriation bill for K-12 public education for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.
This is only the second time that legislators approved an appropriation bill for public schools by the required April 1 education funding deadline since 2003 when the requirement was put in place.
“I’m pleased to sign this bill that provides a significant increase in spending for our public school system,” said Fallin. “I’m hoping this additional funding will result in improved K-12 public school results. Our job as a state is to empower our students, parents and teachers to succeed by setting the bar high and challenging each other to succeed.
The $2.9 billion funding contained in HB 3705 includes $353.5 million for teacher pay; $52 million for support personnel pay: $33 million for textbooks: $17 million for the state aid formula; and $24.7 million for flex health care benefits.
The total increase in common education funding for the 2019 fiscal year is $480.2 million.
The new bill will start July 1, and last through the 2019 fiscal year.