{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-18-101","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-18-101","heading":"Declaration of legislative intent, policies and","body":"principles.\n\nThe Legislature hereby declares that this act is passed for the\n\ngeneral improvement of the public schools in the State of Oklahoma;\n\nto provide the best possible educational opportunities for every\n\nchild in Oklahoma; and to have a more beneficial use of public funds\n\nexpended for education; and this act shall be liberally construed to\n\nattain these goals within the purview of the following principles\n\nand policies:\n\n1. The education of our children is more than the performance\n\nof a duty or act of love. It is these things and also the highest\n\nexpression of enlightened self-interest by the people of Oklahoma.\n\nEducation is our finest investment.\n\n2. The system of public schools should be designed to\n\nstrengthen and encourage local responsibility for control of public\n\neducation. Local school districts should be so organized, financed\n\nand directed that they can provide full educational opportunities\n\nfor all children. The maximum public autonomy and responsibility\n\nfor public education should remain with the local school districts\n\nand the patrons of such districts.\n\n3. It is the responsibility of the state on behalf of the\n\npeople of Oklahoma to establish, maintain, and continually improve\n\nthe public schools of Oklahoma. In furtherance of this\n\nresponsibility, the people of Oklahoma through the state have the\n\nresponsibility to support financially the public schools.\n\n4. Effective local control requires that local school districts\n\ncontribute to the support of school budgets in proportion to their\n\nrespective abilities.\n\n5. The system of public school support should assure that state\n\nand local funds are adequate for the support of a realistic\n\nfoundation program. It is unrealistic and unfair to the children of\n\nthe less wealthy districts to provide less state support than is\n\nnecessary for full educational opportunities.\n\n6. The system of public school support should encourage local\n\nschool districts to provide and support improved educational\n\nprograms.\n\n7. The system of public school support should make provisions\n\nfor the apportionment of state funds to local school districts on a\n\nstrictly objective basis that can be computed as well by the local\n\ndistricts as by the state.\n\n8. The system of public school support should effect a\n\npartnership between the state and each local district, with each\n\nparticipating in accordance with its relative ability. The\n\nrespective abilities should be combined to provide a financial plan\n\nbetween the state and the local school district that will assure\n\nfull educational opportunities for every child in Oklahoma.\n\n9. State support should be extended to all local districts\n\nregardless of wealth, for this not only develops a sense of broader\n\nresponsibility, but also creates flexibility taxwise permitting the\n\nexercise of local initiative. State support should, to assure equal\n\neducational opportunity, provide for as large a measure of\n\nequalization as possible among districts. The taxing power of the\n\nstate should be utilized to raise the level of educational\n\nopportunity in the financially weakest districts of the state.\n\n10. The system of public school support should provide for an\n\nequitable system of state and local sharing in the foundation\n\nprogram. The degree of local sharing should be based, as nearly as\n\npossible, on the true ability of the local district, so that each\n\nmay contribute uniformly to the foundation program.","path":["OK Code","Title 70"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os70.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"fb18f9099a2258a502e82fc40c23407e8c021244f99cb184796fb808dc2d3c62","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-1746","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-18-103"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}