School voucher proposals would cost Oklahoma school districts millions

Studies by the Oklahoma State Department of Education show that proposed voucher programs could cost anywhere from $15.6 million to $68.9 million.

On Tuesday, State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister went on the record on the hot-button issue for the first time, questioning the timing of lawmakers’ proposals to create private school voucher programs given the state of Oklahoma’s budget woes.

In her appearance at the Republican Women’s Club of Tulsa County luncheon, Hofmeister referred to studies that showed the cost to her state agency alone would be $800,000 to $1.5 million, regardless of how many children participated. The Tulsa World filed requests for those studies using the Oklahoma Open Records Act.

Just as other state agencies do, the state Department of Education routinely provides staffers at the Oklahoma State Senate and House of Representatives with “fiscal impact statements” with cost estimates for proposals that affect the department.

Many of Hofmeister’s fellow Republicans in the Legislature, as well as Gov. Mary Fallin, have championed the creation of a voucher program, but these lawmakers have said the costs are unknown.

However, the fiscal impact statements that the education department has provided to legislative staffers for Senate Bill 609 and House Bill 2949 calculate the potential costs for several scenarios. And education officials said they are updated constantly as the bills are amended.

Senate Bill 609, sponsored by State Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond and Sen. Kyle Loveless, R-Oklahoma City, and State Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City, is estimated to cost the state Department of Education $880,000 and local districts a total of $14.7 million in year one, $29.5 million in year two and $44.5 million in year three.

House Bill 2949, sponsored by Nelson and Jolley, is estimated to cost the Department of Education $1.5 million and local districts $23 million if 1 percent of eligible students participate, $46 million if 2 percent participate and $68.9 million if 3 percent participate.

That impact statement also includes a disclaimer in bold that those cost estimates do not include students who may participate in the program who were not previously enrolled in a public school.