Cherokee Nation Gives Nearly $4 Million To Public Schools

The Cherokee Nation distributed $7.9 million to 107 public school districts Tuesday, drawing from income generated by vehicle registration and tag fees.

The Cherokees have a compact with the State of Oklahoma that allows the tribe to issue tags to Cherokee citizens, even outside the reservation in Northeast Oklahoma.

The Cherokees are the only tribe that prints and sells its own tag. The other nations inside Oklahoma contract the work out to the state.

“You know we'd like to say we would like to say we don't rely on this money, it's just extra, but in the last decade in public education, dollars have been hard to come by so we have grown to rely on them,” said Scott Farmer, the Superintendent of Fort Gibson Public Schools, which received $200,000.

“These dollars from Cherokee Nation are important, and the only thing that makes sense is a renewal of this compact, and that's what we'll be pushing for,” said Cherokee Chief Chuck Hoskin. The current compact, which is already in a one-year extension period, expires at the end of 2024. Hoskin has warned that talks are not proceeding with the State at a pace that ensures continuity in tag sales and regulations. He urged each school district to lobby the Governor and legislators, and each school representative was given a form letter they use as a template.

“We've been your voice, and now we need you to be ours,” Hoskin told the district representatives.

Governor Stitt agreed to a new tobacco compact with the tribe and has said the tag compact would need to be fair for all Oklahomans without specifying his bargaining points during negotiations. Chief Hoskin said Tuesday he believes the existing compact is a great deal for both parties and should be the template for a longer-term commitment. Hoskin said he’s already spoken with legislators about using their authority to extend the current deal.