EdChoice congratulates Oklahoma for expansion of tax-credit scholarship program
Total credits available will rise from $3.5 million to $25 million
INDIANAPOLIS—EdChoice, a national nonprofit organization that promotes state-based educational choice programs, congratulates Oklahoma for raising the limit on its tax-credit scholarship program from $3.5 million to $25 million. Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the legislation late last week.
“We’ve been working to expand Oklahoma’s tax-credit program for years so that more students can have access to these scholarships,” said Leslie Hiner, director of the EdChoice Legal Defense and Education Center. “This increase will allow many more families to have options that were previously out of reach for their children.”
The Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarships program was enacted in 2011 and launched in 2013. The program gives individuals and businesses a 50 percent tax credit for contributions made to nonprofit organizations that provide school scholarships to students who meet the income and/or zoning requirements.
Earlier this session, Oklahoma modernized its K-12 student funding formula and enacted an open enrollment law that will provide more public school choice for families. Oklahoma also has the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship, a voucher program for children with special needs.
“The school choice door is definitely open wide in Oklahoma, and it’s going to be exciting to watch these programs grow in the years to come,” Hiner said.
EdChoice has provided fiscal and legal analysis to Oklahoma policymakers.
ABOUT THE LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION CENTER
Formally established in 2018, the Legal Defense and Education Center (LDEC) built on EdChoice’s history of providing legal expertise to policymakers, media outlets and the legal community. LDEC works in partnership with state and national allies to identify and remove legal barriers to universal school choice and provide ongoing legal assistance to the school choice movement.
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