Oklahoma programs for at-risk students lose funding, support

“We're struggling to get these kids everything they deserve, a second chance,” Hardy said. “Will that be supported without the evaluation process? It scares me.”

All alternative education programs across the state, received a direct 4.7 percent reduction in funding. Hardy said the Jenks School District is making up the shortcoming for her program so it won't lose momentum.

But the state also cut $1.2 million from the Oklahoma Technical Assistance Center, which reviews the state's alternative education programs. Hardy said that will be real loss.

“Contrary to popular belief, there are a lot of teachers and programs out there who do appreciate a healthy look at their programs,” said Kathy McKean, director of the Technical Assistance Center. “We've been kind of overwhelmed with letters saying ‘what are we going to do without our evaluators?'”

The center compiled a wealth of data from alternative education centers. It worked to track how students progressed once they entered the alternative programs, which are geared specifically toward keeping students in school and learning.

McKean said her department also lost funding for other contracts, including professional development programs for teachers.

“We will be scaled way down,” she said. “We won't be closed; we have a few evaluation contracts out, so we'd be able to come back if that was wanted.”