The State of Oklahoma has drawn repeated criticism recently for leading the nation in funding cuts to K-12 public schools.
But now, as The Tulsa World reports, the Sooner State has notched another dubious distinction. A study has found that Oklahoma has also slashed more funding to colleges and universities over the last five fiscal years than any other state in the nation. Since 2012, Oklahoma cut funding to higher education by almost 18 percent. There were only six other states that cut overall funding to colleges over that period.
These cuts are particularly devastating to rural colleges, as a larger percentage of the budget at these smaller schools comes from state funding.
Jordan Adams, marketing coordinator at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, explained: “When you get down to the community college level, the two-year college level, the rural college level, [these] cuts can be much more severe.”
