Leaders of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration are supporting a legal challenge filed in the state Supreme Court this week by Oklahoma City attorney David Slane.
The lawsuit accuses Gov. Mary Fallin of violating state law as she considers calling a special legislative session to figure out what to do with the $140 million surplus created by mid-year state budget cuts that were higher than necessary.
Fallin has suggested using the money for teacher pay raises. But the lawsuit asserts she does not have the right to hold the money while she figures it out.
Ryan Owens, the executive director of CCOSA, agrees that teachers desperately need pay raises, but still supports Slane’s lawsuit.
"There is no authorization for [the office of Management and Enterprise Services] to continue to hold these funds while the governor continues to contemplate whether or not to call a special session,” Owens said.
Owens says reallocating it to multiple agencies is the right thing to do.
