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Edmond Public Schools
The Edmond Public Schools Board of Education announced Monday it is joining more than 100 Oklahoma school districts in potential legal action against the Oklahoma State Board of Education.
On March 25, the state board settled a lawsuit with the Oklahoma Public Charter School Association by a resolution declaring a charter school “shall receive from its sponsoring local school district board of education its proportionate share of the General Fund, the Building Fund, all other Local Revenue and all State Dedicated Revenue.”
Prior to the resolution, charter schools received state-appropriated revenue but no local revenue.
Many school districts and attorneys believe the settlement violates state law according to a release from EPS.
“This settlement agreement is extremely harmful to traditional school districts,” EPS Superintendent Bret Towne said. “It does not even differentiate between brick-and-mortar charter schools and virtual charters. It’s difficult to conceptualize the need for virtual charter schools to have access to other districts’ building funds. Edmond could lose between $500,000 and $600,000 yearly from our building fund if the settlement is upheld.”
In its resolution, the state board said the state legislature declared charter schools to be public schools.
“The Legislature in the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act (the “Act”) provides, in part, that charter schools shall be eligible to receive any other aid, grants or revenues allowed to other schools,” according to the resolution. “The Act also provides that a charter school, in addition to money received from the State of Oklahoma, may receive money from any other source.”