Oklahoma Private, Public Schools On Opposite Sides Of Voucher Bill

Monday, the legislature looked at another school voucher bill, but the idea has already advanced further than ever before in Oklahoma.

Private schools are supporting the idea of a taxpayer subsidy - figuring the dollars for education should follow the student.

Public schools recognize the potential of losing students, and dollars; one estimate puts it at a $250 million yearly loss for traditional public education.

At Holy Family Catholic School, the classes are small, but not every seat is filled.

Tulsa's Catholic Elementary schools have openings, Superintendent Jim Pohlman, figures a school voucher could fill up the seats.

"With the ESA is that it allows people who are looking at Catholic or other private denominational or non-denominational schools to say, ‘I'd like to try that out for my child,’” he said.

Catholic school tuition in Tulsa is in the range of $5,000 a year, and the vouchers wouldn't cover all of the cost, just most of it.

Other private schools charge much more, and public schools argue the voucher would not make private school a financial option for most families.

Sand Springs superintendent, Lloyd Snow, said, “A partial voucher scholarship is not going to help the vast majority of our kids; it's ultimately an entitlement for families who need the help the least.”

The measure has considerable opposition from public schools, but it's passed the first step towards consideration.

Snow believes the legislature is threatening the concept of public education for all. In Sand Springs, the budget hit could be $2 million a year.

“I don't think the average citizen wants their hard-earned tax dollars to go into that private setting,” Snow said.

Private schools see it simply as parental choice, and an opportunity to serve more students.

“We're all doing the same thing of educating the kids, and it's about parental choice," Pohlman said "Would I, as a parent, want my child to go to that school if I had the choice? Could I get my child in that school, number one, and would they achieve great success while they're there?”

The state school board association ran the numbers on what it would cost if just most of the children in private schools were able to get the voucher. You can see the breakdown below.

House Bill 2949:

Bill Summary:

Estimated Cost To Public School Districts: