What to know about Ryan Walters' 'back-to-basics' budget presented to Oklahoma lawmakers

State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters proposed a slightly smaller education budget to a legislative budget committee Wednesday, emphasizing his "back-to-basics" priorities and displaying a cordial demeanor.

Walters and the Oklahoma State Department of Education submitted a budget request of about $3.92 billion to a House subcommittee on education appropriations and budget, down slightly from the $3.97 billion appropriated last year. Walters spent most of the two-hour session outlining the rationale behind his funding requests for a handful of new proposals. Discussion proved mostly friendly and Walters freely answered questions from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

Walters said he was “bringing a budget that will make Oklahoma a leader in education.” His biggest new budget request for the 2025 fiscal year was for $60.55 million for what he’s dubbed as his “Back To Basics” plan, of which he said $48.25 million would go directly to teachers.

The plan would involve $10 million to continue a signing bonus program to bring teachers into Oklahoma. The goal, Walters said, would be to attract as many as 650 secondary-school-level teachers in math and science. The current signing-bonus program, Walters said, resulted in the hiring of 522 certified teachers in 200 school districts, who were hired to teach in critical shortage areas — pre-kindergarten through third grade and in special education — in exchange for a five-year commitment.

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Walters said 173 teachers received the maximum $50,000 bonus. That number included 67 out-of-state teachers who moved to Oklahoma, he said.

Walters also asked for $15 million to expand a statewide tutoring program focused on improving reading and math test scores. Under the concept, which Walters said could reach as many as 8,000 students, teachers would earn $50 an hour to work as after-hours tutors. He also proposed spending $22 million in “growth” bonuses, which essentially would be incentive pay for teachers whose students had shown gains in reading and math.

His request also included $9.05 million for teacher training in reading, math, science and history, and $4.5 million for a statewide screener (a mid-year test administered to students) and an online early warning and intervention system. The screener program would be similar to ones already implemented in Tennessee and Mississippi, Walters said.

After months of tension with Ryan Walters, lawmaker says meeting 'went how I wanted it to go'

“I think it went awesome,” said Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, after the meeting. “It went how I wanted it to go. It was calm. We got questions answered. We all showed each other respect."McBride stopped to shake Walters' hand as the superintendent conducted a press conference.

“I appreciated his feedback in the hearing today. I appreciated his commentary," Walters said of McBride. “I thought we had a great discussion on how to move education forward here in the state of Oklahoma, rolling out our ‘Back To Basics’ plan, talking about teacher signing bonuses, growth bonuses for teachers, new ways to recruit and retain teachers."In recent months, all has not been sweetness and light between McBride and Walters. McBride expressed frustration with efforts to obtain information from Walters and the state Education Department about various subjects.

In December, McBride — joined by House Speaker Charles McCall and Rep. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon ― took the unusual step of issuing a subpoena for the information.

Walters provided the information requested in the subpoena well before the deadline and met privately with McBride last week. On Wednesday, Walters had already arrived at the fourth-floor meeting room at the Capitol a few minutes before McBride walked in. The two shook hands and had a cordial conversation, with McBride saying, “I’m glad you’re here,” and Walters replying, “I appreciate you.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ryan Walters presents smaller budget to Oklahoma House committee