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School Funding Petition is Filed: A Groups Seeks a Statewide Vote to Require 65 Percent of Education Funding to Be Used in Classrooms.

Posted on: Tuesday, 6 June 2006, 09:01 CDT

By Angel Riggs, Tulsa World, Okla.

Jun. 6--OKLAHOMA CITY -- Supporters of a proposal that would require at least 65 percent of education funding to be spent in classrooms submitted an initiative petition Monday to the Secretary of State's Office.

The group, led by Tulsa businessman and gubernatorial candidate Bob Sullivan, want the proposition to be voted on by Oklahomans this fall.

Sullivan announced in March a 90-day campaign to gather more than 118,000 signatures.

On Monday, Sullivan said the group had more than 170,000 signatures on the petition.

"Oklahomans have spoken loudly that they want this on the ballot," he said.

The secretary of state will certify the signatures. Then the process moves to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which will issue a ruling on the sufficiency of the signatures.

Legal challenges before the Supreme Court could slow the question from making November's general election ballot.

The proposal, touted as the "65 percent Solution," is part of a national movement by a Washington, D.C.-based group, First Class Education, to increase education spending in classrooms without raising taxes.

Supporters of the proposal say it would allow more education dollars to be spent on teachers' salaries, supplies, textbooks, or extra activities such as athletics, music or drama.

Oklahoma's school districts spend an average of 57.9 percent of all education dollars in the classroom, said Sullivan, who has helped raise about $750,000. The state ranks 46th nationwide, he said.

Opponents, however, contend that the measure does little more than shift funds around and that the real problem is that schools are funded inadequately.

"First of all, this is not giving schools more money," said Lela Odom, the Oklahoma Education Association's executive director. "It's just changing the money around."

Odom and other critics say the measure doesn't include essential school personnel such as counselors, nurses and custodians.

"It's pretty ludicrous in my mind that you can count athletics as part of the 65 percent," she said. "You can count in the mileage it takes to transport athletes as 'in the classroom,' but you can't count getting them to and from school."

Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association President Steve Stockley said Monday that he believes that the proposal is "very damaging to public education."

Two other initiative petitions have been filed with the secretary of state calling for possible votes this fall.

Earlier this year, supporters of a Taxpayer Bill of Rights turned in a petition that would limit state spending and tie increases in spending to a formula based on inflation and population growth.

A number of legal challenges to that petition are before the state Supreme Court.

A separate petition would limit the legal uses of eminent domain in the state.

Although the eminent-domain petition has been pending before the Supreme Court, a separate ruling from the high court and legislation have accomplished many of the same things it sought to do.

Petition supporters have said they will take a second look as to whether a statewide vote is needed on that issue.

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Angel Riggs (405) 528-2465 angel.riggs@tulsaworld.com

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Copyright (c) 2006, Tulsa World, Okla.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Tulsa World

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