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Oklahoma
State Senate
Communications Division
State Capitol
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105
For Immediate Release: February 2, 2010
Sen. Gary Stanislawski
Bill
to Allow School Districts to Expend State Textbook Allocations Passes
Senate Committee
A measure to allow school districts to use state textbook allocations
for instructional expenses passed the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
on Education Wednesday. Sen. Gary Stanislawski said Senate Bill
1784 would help school districts struggling financially due to budget
cuts.
“We have schools that can’t afford to pay their bills
and are going to be forced to start laying teachers off. It only
makes sense to allow local school boards to determine their greatest
needs and decide how to best use their available funds to cover
those needs,” said Stanislawski, R-Tulsa. “The bottom
line here is what’s the point in having new books when you
have no teachers to teach those subjects? In hard financial times
like these, we must use our commonsense and do what we can to help
our local schools.”
Stanislawski was told by officials with Tulsa Public Schools that
the district receives over $2 million a year in textbook allocations
– an amount that could help save up to 50 teaching positions
next year.
The Oklahoma City School district was allocated just over $1.85
million for textbooks in 2010, which could also save a significant
number of jobs.
School districts would be authorized to expend textbook allocations
only during the next fiscal year which begins on July 1, 2010.
SB 1784 must now be considered by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
For more information contact:
Sen. Stanislawski: 405-521-5624
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