Oklahoma education standstill could head to a conference committee for negotiation
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) — It's a week before the deadline for bills to be heard in the opposite chamber's committees, and there's still no education compromise on the table.
As Oklahoma House and Senate leadership continue to throw jabs at each other's education plans, many parents and educators are concerned there won't be a solution this session.
While it's become more contentious between the two chambers following press conferences, op-eds and bill changes, there is an option that could potentially bring results moving forward.
The Speaker of the House, Charles McCall, said the only option for moving education reform forward is taking the issue to a conference committee.
In that process, a few members are chosen by the Speaker and the President Pro Tem of the Senate to negotiate.
“We will appoint conferees very quickly so that work can begin," Speaker McCall said. "But the Senate will have to. That work can’t begin until the Senate reciprocates and appoints conferees as well.”
The President Pro Tem, Senator Greg Treat, is seemingly on board with the idea.
“I want to have negotiations in the public. So I’m willing to have those if he wants to have them in closed doors we can do that," Sen. Treat said.
If the two can agree to meet on the issue, the Senate is hoping the Republican led chambers will focus on the commonalities instead of the differences.
“We all want more money in the classroom. We all want school choice," Sen. Treat said. "It’s really a detail difference in how we do the pay raise and do we treat kids separately based on their zip code?"
The Speaker is open to changes in the details, but isn't budging on the framework.
“If you strip out the rural school funding, or if you limit the tax credit, or not every teacher in our state gets a teacher pay raise or every school doesn’t receive money, it’s not going to pass the House of Representatives," Speaker McCall said.
For a widely supported teacher pay raise and the most expansive plan to give all families the option of tax credits for private education, both chambers are working to get it right.
“We’ll work through those differences, we’re not that far a part in the whole scheme of things unless he’s unwilling to negotiate," Pro Tem Treat said. "Henceforth, he has just said you pass my bill exactly as we sent it or we wont hear anything. He’s moderated that a little bit lately, so I am hopeful he will actually come to the table.”
The Speakers said we can expect conversations between House and Senate leadership, along with the Governor next week.
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