More than $3 million has been returned to the Public School Activities Fund by the State Board of Education. The funds were part of the $40.2 million returned to the Department as part of the revenue failure cuts which were too large.
The fund is used to support several initiatives, including professional development, advanced placement teacher training and fee assistance, and the Sooner Start program. The $3.4 million in funds were returned proportionately to the initiatives within the Public School Activities Fund.
The initial seven percent cut to the fund totaled $13.8 million. After the books on Fiscal Year 2016 were reconciled it was found that a cut of 4.4 percent was necessary to cover state expenses, not the larger seven percent. After some consideration of a special session to reallocate the money, it was decided to just return the $140.8 million left over from cuts back to the state agencies.
