State superintendent asks lawmakers to help restore funds to rural schools

(OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.) In response to recent changes by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) to the Rural and Low-Income Schools (RLIS) program, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister is requesting that the state’s congressional delegation intercede on behalf of Oklahoma schools. In her letter to Oklahoma’s U.S. senators and representatives, Hofmeister stated, “The loss of approximately $1,040,095 in RLIS funds will adversely affect many rural LEAs [local education authorities, i.e., school districts] and likely force the reduction of services to their students.” “We must do everything in our power to ensure this change in policy is reversed as abruptly as it was enacted, which is why I am asking for the members of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation to intervene on behalf of our rural schools,” Hofmeister said. In the past, USDE allowed Oklahoma to use the percentages of students qualifying for free- and reduced-lunch percentages to determine “below poverty” eligibility. The new rules require the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) to use Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE data) to determine eligibility, which could decrease the number of eligible districts from 144 to 82. In addition to her request to federal lawmakers, Hofmeister is also asking the USDE to reconsider the changes to eligibility requirements. To see the full letter, click here: https://sde.ok.gov/sites/default/files/20200302134141054.pdf