By Ben Felder Staff Writer bfelder@oklahoman.com
Oklahoma's pre-K through 12th grade student enrollment is projected to grow by 6 percent over the next decade, adding an additional 41,000 students to an already financially-strained public school system.
The projected growth rate would be a slight slowdown from the 9 percent increase the state's public school system experienced over the past decade, according to projected and historical data from the U.S. Department of Education.
But it's a growth trend in line with many other western and southern states, while states in the northeast and Great Lakes region are expected to post declining enrollments.
Enrollment is an important factor in school funding, as much of the money Oklahoma schools rely on is dispersed through the state aid formula on a per student basis.
Oklahoma's per student spending average of nearly $8,000, which combines all local, state and federal sources, is one of the lowest rates in the nation.
Oklahoma has cut per student spending since 2008 by more than any other state in the nation, according to analyses from multiple groups, including the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Education leaders have promoted a return to pre-2008 funding levels, but student enrollment growth will raise the amount necessary to do so.
“These projections pose a challenge to an already insufficiently funded system,” said Joy Hofmeister, Oklahoma's state schools superintendent.
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