OKLAHOMA CITY — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters (R) announced late last week that he would create a new Office of School Choice within the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Walters made the announcement at the beginning of last week's State Board of Education meeting.
“This will be a one-stop shop for everything related to school choice,” Walters said of the office within the state agency he oversees.
Walters said there is already an office within OSDE that deals with charter schools, private schools, vouchers, etc., and this new office will consolidate all those resources into one. The office compiles resources to help parents consider their options.
“There are a few states that have this, but not many, so we're very excited to be able to offer this to parents in Oklahoma,” Walters said.
But some at the state Capitol argued this was another political stunt aimed at boosting Walter's image nationally rather than improving student outcomes locally.
“I would like to remind Superintendent Walters that he is the superintendent of public schools, not the superintendent of private schools. Private schools can advertise on their own,” said State Representative John Waldron. (D-Tulsa) said. “We gave them $150 million in public funding through the voucher program. I think they can advertise on their own. They don't need state offices to find students.”
Waldron, who has taught in Tulsa public schools for many years, said private schools have not increased capacity or made room for many, if any, new students since the state instituted the voucher system. Ta.
He said public schools remain the only option for most parents, and for low- and moderate-income families, vouchers only cover a portion of the cost. Most families cannot afford to make up this difference.
“There are only 35,000 private school slots in the state. Oklahoma has 700,000 students. 'They still won't really be able to choose a school,''' Waldron said.
Waldron also said private schools continue to be selective about the students they choose to enroll, rather than welcoming everyone with open arms as long as they can pay.
“The admissions process still allows schools to choose their students, and students cannot choose their schools,” he said.
FOX23 sent OSDE a detailed list of questions about the new office, but after several days of waiting, no response was received. Walter's announcement did not say when the new office would open.