'The speaker is operating in a fantasy land': House, Senate leaders spar over ed reforms
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) — Tensions between Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall (R-Atoka) and Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat (R-Oklahoma City) are heating up as both defend their chambers' proposals for education reform.
As of Wednesday, they remained at odds over how to best execute teacher pay raises and school choice tax credits.
"In order for this to work, it's got to be a win... for all schools, all teachers, students, and parents in the state," explained the House Speaker when pointing out what he described as issues with Senate amendments to the House plan.
In his view, the House plan is better— and the Senate's amendments to it would fail to give every teacher in the state a pay raise.
"The House plan is everyone wins. The Senate plan, what they sent over, are some win but most lose," the House Speaker added.
According to the Speaker's office, under the Senate plan, only approximately 2,600 currently being paid according to the minimum salary schedule would receive a pay increase— leaving out 43,000 other teachers across the state.
According to Sen. Treat, however, that assessment is untrue. In a statement released on Wednesday, Sen. Treat's office explained that every teacher in the state would get a pay bump based off years of service.
"The speaker is operating in a fantasy land. For him to continue to spread misinformation is disingenuous at best. Speaker McCall’s insecurities about the House plan are plain to see. He knows the Senate plan is better, he knew our chamber took a more thoughtful approach and he refuses to operate in transparency," Sen. Treat asserted.
The House Speaker also shared that the Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-Okla.) wants education plans finalized so lawmakers can move onto other issues, including, "tax cuts, economic development, and... a budget."
Nevertheless, sticking points with education plans remain. The Senate put an income cap of $250,000 on families who can qualify for school choice tax credits to fund private education and homeschool.
Both the House Speaker and the governor have made clear that they want the program open to all Oklahoma families.
"It's a form of class warfare," Rep. McCall asserted, "And you can never say that every parent and student in the State of Oklahoma wins... with an income cap."
Regarding the House Speaker's approach towards negotiations on the proposed pieces of legislation, Sen. Treat argued that, "The speaker seems to be intent on torpedoing meaningful education reform... It is unfortunate and I hope he comes to his senses.”
The House is set to take up the Senate's amended versions of the education funding legislation, HB 2775, and the tax credit proposal, HB 1935.
The House Speaker shared that the House will take up the amended legislation in the next few days.
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