For Immediate Release

Media Contact:
Angela Allmond, Communications Director
Oklahoma Democratic Party
angela@okdemocrats.org

School Choice Bill Republican Charade to Privatize Education

OKLAHOMA CITY—FEBRUARY 14 2022 – Oklahoma’s Republican lawmakers do not value public education and continue their anti-education movement hiding behind “school choice” as if parents do not have a choice for their children’s education. Republicans claim to care about students, teachers, and our education system, but their actions and years of inaction show otherwise. Our public education budget, or lack thereof, reflects how they value public education and our teachers.

“Republicans are brainwashing the public into thinking that parents do not have a choice on where their kids go to school. They believe that the best route to improve our education system is to transfer public taxpayers’ money from public funding into parents’ hands to use for private schooling or homeschooling, calling it ‘choice.’ This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Improving our public education system requires adequate funding and not taking the money away from our schools,” stated Alicia Andrews, Chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party

“Rural schools are hurt the most by this hoax, convincing the public that it’s in the best interest of students and parents. In reality, it damages already underfunded rural schools’ ability to fund public resources and reduces funding for teachers, support staff, books, and computers. It baffles me why Republicans are pulling the wool over peoples’ eyes trying to claim that removing public funds from the education system helps public education,” continued Andrews.

“It doesn’t matter what Republicans try to label it. Whether they call it a Voucher program or Education Savings Account, ESA it’s the same concept. Remove public education money from public schools and feed it into private education. It’s as simple as that.

“Oklahoma schools have been facing budget shortfalls for decades, and rural schools are impacted the most. The rural community, already dealing with limited education funds, will have even less money when those funds are fed into private education. Oklahoma is last in the region on per-student spending. School Choice isn’t the answer to our State’s education crisis. Lawmakers should be focusing on ways to increase funding and support for our public teachers and education, not ways to take money away,” Andrews concluded.

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For more information about the Oklahoma Democratic Party, visit the party website at okdemocrats.org, or call party headquarters at 405-427-3366.