08/23/2026
Some have asked about State Question 844 and how it would impact schools. As a school, we cannot and will not campaign on how to vote. Below are facts pertaining to the state question and an attachment sent out by the Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA) to help voters understand the question.
Currently, Oklahoma offers qualifying new and expanding manufacturers a five-year property tax exemption. Because those businesses are not paying those local property taxes during the exemption period, the State of Oklahoma is required to reimburse the local entities that lose that revenue, including public schools, CareerTech centers, county governments, libraries, county health departments and emergency medical services.
SQ 844 does NOT eliminate the tax exemption for the businesses. Instead, it would change the Oklahoma Constitution and allow the Legislature to determine the amount and method of reimbursement provided to the local entities that are giving up that property tax revenue.
If the state chooses to reimburse less than what a school district or other local entity would have otherwise received, that loss doesn’t simply disappear. Schools still have teachers and staff to pay, buildings to maintain, equipment to purchase and students to serve. Counties still have roads, public safety, elections and other essential services to provide. Libraries, health departments and EMS districts still have communities depending on them.
There can also be a statewide impact on school funding. Some districts receiving these reimbursements currently require little or no funding through Oklahoma’s state aid formula. If their local revenue decreases and they become eligible for additional state aid, more districts could be drawing from the same limited pool of state education dollars. That has the potential to affect schools far beyond the counties currently receiving these reimbursements.
