Oklahoma House speaker Charles McCall gives ultimatum to Senate on school funding, tax credit bills
Kicking off a war of words at the Capitol on Thursday, Oklahoma's House speaker said the state Senate can't amend his $800 million education package, or else all Senate education priorities are "dead on arrival" in his chamber.
Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, said he would interpret any amendments to his legislation on family tax credits, teacher pay raises and school funding as an act of "sabotage." The Senate's top leader, Pro Tem Greg Treat, said McCall's stance is "asinine."
The speaker called a news conference at the state Capitol on Thursday to announce he would not give a hearing to any education bills from the Senate if House Bills 2775 and 1935 are changed.
“We’re not saying that’s all that we would consider in terms of education initiatives this year,” McCall said. “I think we could find agreement on other issues, but the correct place for those is in different pieces of legislation, not messing with the balance of 2775 and 1935.”
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Both bills have earned Gov. Kevin Stitt's endorsement.
Treat, R-Oklahoma City, indicated the package is not likely to pass the Senate without any amendments.
“If the speaker’s goal is to kill school choice, he’s doing a great job," Treat said while speaking with reporters on Thursday. "By saying if we amend it at all, it’s setting the trap to be able to blame me for school choice dying."
HB 1935 would offer families a $5,000 refundable tax credit for each student who attends a private school and a $2,500 refundable tax credit for every child in home school. Families with limited tax liability could receive a check from the state while higher-earning households could take the tax credit off the top of their taxable income.
McCall estimated the measure would cost $300 million if all families of private-school and home-school children applied.
Oklahoma’s public education system would get an extra $500 million from HB 2775, a massive bill that includes a $2,500 raise for all public-school teachers.
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The bill also encompasses $300 million to be distributed to schools on a per-student basis for classroom expenses and further staff raises. School districts couldn't receive more than $2 million each, meaning rural schools with low student counts would see a greater impact than high-population districts.
The House speaker said he’s had little communication from the Senate since Sen. Julie Daniels agreed to become an author on his legislation — an allegation Treat denied. The pro tem said McCall hasn't brought up education priorities in their weekly meetings lately.
Daniels, R-Bartlesville, said last week she agreed to allow two private-school voucher bills to die in the Senate Rules Committee, which she leads, in favor of advancing McCall’s tax credits. She said the Senate was reviewing how McCall’s package overlaps with policies that already had passed in the upper chamber.
Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, proposed a 13-bill, $541 million education plan that would give $3,000-$6,000 raises to teachers’ minimum salaries, 12 weeks of teacher maternity leave and other incentives for public school educators. He did not include any measures that would financially benefit private-school or home-school families.
The Senate will continue to bring its own ideas to the table, the pro tem said.
"It seems to be a theme the last two sessions that you do it exactly how we send it to you or we’re not going to pass school choice," Treat said of McCall's rhetoric. "We won’t be bullied into a position."
McCall said the House could be amenable to some of Pugh’s ideas but said any Senate proposals would have to come in the form of other bills that follow his legislation. They could not, he said, be merged into HB 2775 or 1935.
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“We’d like to see the Senate build on top of that, not try to amend that package,” the speaker said.
Reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel covers K-12 and higher education throughout the state of Oklahoma. Have a story idea for Nuria? She can be reached at nmartinez-keel@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @NuriaMKeel. Support Nuria’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma House speaker: Changes to school bills would be 'sabotage'
