Governor Brad Henry seeks quick action on education funds

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Gov. Brad Henry urged lawmakers Thursday to quickly approve $40 million in emergency funding for public schools. <br><br>Henry, however, said the Legislature should carefully review

Friday, February 7th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Gov. Brad Henry urged lawmakers Thursday to quickly approve $40 million in emergency funding for public schools.

Henry, however, said the Legislature should carefully review the regular school budget before acting on it to make sure any administrative fat is trimmed.

Republican legislative leaders originally called for passage of next year's budget for schools by Feb. 12, when teachers are scheduled to hold a mass rally at the Capitol.

Rep. Todd Hiett, R-Kellyville, said the GOP has revised its request for early education funding action to March 1.

Henry said lawmakers should await the Equalization Board's final estimate of revenues on Feb. 18, then begin a thorough review of the school budget.

``I want lawmakers to move as swiftly as possible on next year's education budget, but it's also important for them to conduct a deliberative review to ensure that school funds are actually going to the classroom, not administrative overhead,'' he said.

``The Legislature should act quickly on education, but it should also be sure that it acts responsibly,'' Henry added.

In his first State of the State speech this week, the Democratic governor proposed giving education an additional $110 million, counting the $40 million emergency appropriation, which will restore some of the money schools lost earlier this fiscal year because of budget cuts.