TASK FORCE TO UNVEIL CONSOLIDATION SCENARIOS

A state education task force has come up with four scenarios for
consolidating the state's 541 school districts, state schools
Superintendent Sandy Garrett said Thursday. Garrett said the task force
report should be ready for the governor and made public in a week.

She said the report will not advocate nor oppose consolidation but will
explore the cost of various scenarios.

Commenting on the state's dependent school districts, which usually go only
through the eighth grade, Garrett said costs to operate those
"k(indergarten) through eighth-grade schools are cheap," compared with
independent districts that go through grade 12.

When revenue shortfalls were announced in November, Garrett formed a task
force to explore cost-cutting and prepare a report for Gov. Brad Henry. The
group of about 100 has been meeting weekly to examine ways to trim costs.

Areas being studied include:

Consolidation.

Local cost-saving efficiencies.

State and federal mandates that are causing budgetary problems.

Ways to expand and diversify the tax base.

Garrett told members of the state CareerTech board Thursday that "hopefully
this report will be done next Friday."

Several groups making up the Oklahoma Education Coalition have called for a
temporary 1- cent sales tax for education, but Garrett has not embraced
that suggestion.

Garrett has proposed working with American Indian tribes to get them to
give to the state some of the revenues they collect for issuing vehicle
tags. She said only the Cherokees are giving back 38 percent of the tag
fees they collect.

"I am writing a letter to other tribes" and asking them to return portions
of their tag fees, she said.

Garrett said she's also had discussions with tribal leaders about their
gaming revenues.

"I think it would be very appropriate (for the tribes) to share in that
revenue -- to give back for the education of our children."

The revenue that would be produced through tribal liaisons has not been
calculated.

The School Finance Task Force includes leaders from the Oklahoma Education
Coalition, school superintendents, school business managers, selected
leaders in private business and others knowledgeable about the issues
surrounding school funding, Garrett said.

When she announced forming the task force, she said the governor and the
Legislature need to "inventory the assets of the state, cut our losses and
stick to the top priorities of education, health, safety and
transportation. I don't know how we can afford much beyond that."

Referring to the Corrections Department, Garrett said its budget has
increased as a share of the overall budget during the past several years.

"Seventy percent of the males at Lexington (prison) are there for either
drugs, hot checks or white collar crime," while education's share of the
budget has declined, she said.