Carter: Oklahoma open-transfer law benefiting few students

OKLAHOMA OPEN-TRANSFER LAW BENEFITING FEW STUDENTS by Ray Carter, Center for Independent Journalism A new open-transfer law that allows students to shift from one public school to another has been touted as a significant expansion of opportunity for Oklahoma children. But a review of public data, conducted by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), shows a significant share of the slots available through open transfer are in two of the state’s most troubled and academically struggling districts—Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Otherwise, should students want better options, they are often blocked from transferring, particularly to suburban districts touted as public-school successes. Those findings come as leadership in the Oklahoma House of Representatives has cited the open-transfer law as justification for not enacting more significant school-choice legislation this year. “We did a lot of work last year on open transfer and collaborated with everybody on that,” House Speaker Charles McCall said recently. “I personally believe that is the best policy for the state because it works in all four corners of the state.” McCall made those comments as he announced he would not allow a House hearing on Senate Bill 1647, by Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, which would create the Oklahoma Empowerment Account (OEA) Program. Under the proposed program, any student eligible to enroll in a public school would be eligible for an OEA, which could be used to pay for a range of education services, including private-school tuition. Money deposited into the account comes from the per-pupil allotment of state funding already dedicated for education of a child. The state’s new open-transfer law, approved by legislators in 2021, allows for transfer of students between public school districts throughout the year. Previously, such transfers were mostly limited to a short period of time. Read more » by Jamison Faught - February 20, 2022 at 02:09PM

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