OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Governor Kevin Stitt has ideas about how $40 million in federal emergency education funds should be spent that aren’t sitting well with some state educators.
“It’s kind of unrealistic. It’s kind of heartbreaking,” said Sunny Day.
The middle school English teacher at Western Heights is talking about teaching remotely during the pandemic.
“A lot of our kids are vulnerable, they don’t have access to internet. I hate to say the word impossible but its been really difficult,” said Day.
But thanks to the CARES Act, there are $161 million in federal funds headed to Oklahoma.
On Monday, Gov. Stitt repeated his intent to use some $40 million in discretionary federal emergency education money on things like AP classes in rural schools and private school scholarships.
“Those equal opportunity scholarship funds go directly to the students. They go to help offset and mask some private donation for private schools, charter schools, and public schools,” said Gov. Kevin Stitt.
“Those funds are for emergency needs, making sure our kids have what they need to learn and to move forward. Vouchers are not helping that,” said Alicia Priest, with the Oklahoma Education Association.
Priest says all the funds need to be spent on things like upgrades in internet access and additional Personal Protective Equipment for schools’ pandemic counseling for students.
“Using that money to support the over 90 percent of our kids that go to public schools would be the emergency way to go,” said Priest
State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister also weighed in on the idea of the private school vouchers.
“We do not support that idea. We have been in early conversations with the governor’s office about suggestions for the use of his discretionary CARES Act education funds and will formalize a proposal to Gov. Stitt in the coming days. Our proposal will focus on meeting the immediate needs of public school students whose education has been most significantly impacted by COVID-19,” Hofmeister said in a statement.
The superintendent says that proposal should be on the governor’s desk in the next couple days.