Owasso Public Schools will keep $2.5 million in annual state funding after Oklahoma voters overwhelmingly rejected State Question 844 on Aug. 25.

The measure failed with 73.75% voting against it and 26.25% in favor, according to KTEN, citing unofficial results from the state election board. The lopsided margin preserves a constitutional guarantee that the state reimburses school districts and other local entities for property tax revenue lost when manufacturers claim a five-year exemption.

That exemption has been on the books since 1985, when voters approved it to attract business to Oklahoma. Under the current system, the state must make local governments whole for the forgone revenue. SQ 844 would have amended the constitution to let the Legislature decide how much to reimburse, or whether to reimburse at all.

What it means for Owasso

Superintendent Dr. Margaret Coates had sounded the alarm for weeks. At a July board meeting, she told the Owasso school board the reimbursement program delivers an average of $2.5 million per year to the district, according to Tulsa Flyer reporting. Without that funding, Coates warned, districts like Owasso would face cuts to staffing, student programs and other operational expenses.

Who pushed for the change

The measure reached the ballot after lawmakers passed House Joint Resolution 1087. House Speaker Kyle Hilbert and Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton backed it, arguing the reimbursement program had grown too expensive and uneven. Paxton said on the Senate floor on April 9 that he believed the Legislature had "spent hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars on ad valorem reimbursement" over his decade in office, according to FOX 25 reporting.

The Oklahoma State School Boards Association opposed the question. OSSBA Executive Director Dr. Shawn Hime argued the measure would allow future legislatures to reduce or eliminate the reimbursement from one session to the next.

Record turnout in Tulsa County

The Aug. 25 election also set an all-time August early voting record in Tulsa County, with 4,132 ballots cast during the three-day early voting period. That topped the previous August high of 3,621 set in 2018, according to The Oklahoma Eagle.

Election results remain unofficial until certified by state election officials. With the measure defeated, the constitutionally protected reimbursement system stays in place and no further legislative action is required.