A proposed constitutional amendment on the state ballot in November that would raise spending for public education could cost up to $1.7 billion over three years, according to a new report from the bipartisan Oklahoma Policy Institute.
State Question 744 is one of 11 questions that will be decided by voters on Nov. 2. The ballot measure would amend the Oklahoma constitution to require per-pupil state funding at no lower than the average of adjacent states: Missouri, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Colorado, and New Mexico.
The increase would be phased in over three years, from 2012 through 2015.
The OPI report said the requirement would require deep budget cuts or tax increases, or both.
“This would come at a time when the state is already facing a budget hole of over $1 billion in non-recurring revenues and core services are struggling to recover from two years of reduced funding,” the institute said.
“The measure also suffers from unclear language, lacks mechanisms to ensure improved educational quality, and would hand authority for Oklahoma’s budget over to legislators and courts in other states,” the institute said.
The measure is endorsed by the Oklahoma Education Association.
A recent poll of Oklahoma residents found that 65% of the voters surveyed in mid-July support the constitutional amendment.
