Education Petition Group Claims Enough Signatures

Tuesday, June 6th 2006, 5:45 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A group that wants to require that 65 percent of money the state provides for education to be spent on classroom activities says it now has enough signatures on a petition drive to force a statewide vote.

First Class Education needs about 108,000 signatures of registered voters to force a vote on the question and says it's gathered more than 170,000.

The group delivered eleven boxes containing the signatures Monday afternoon to the Secretary of State's office on the first floor of the state Capitol.

State and national teachers organizations have opposed the proposal and a legal challenge is considered likely.

Secretary of State Susan Savage will have to verify the signatures and the proposal would have to win approval from the state Supreme Court before an election is called by Governor Brad Henry.