An online education program serving 33,500 public school students is at risk of running out of money and closing next year unless the Oklahoma Legislature adds more funding, state officials say.
State funding dropped to zero this fiscal year for the Horizon Digitally Enhanced Campus, which offers free online Advanced Placement classes and other virtual courses at discounted rates to Oklahoma school districts.
The Statewide Charter School Board, which is in charge of Horizon, said it will ask the Legislature for a $3.4 million supplemental funding package to restore the program’s budget when lawmakers convene their 2026 session in February.
The head of the board, Brian Shellem, said lawmakers told him the lack of funding was the result of an “oversight.”
But, Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, who leads two Senate committees on education, gave a different explanation.
He said the Legislature initially was told Horizon needed only a one-time appropriation in fiscal year 2025. That’s why the current state budget for fiscal year 2026 dedicated no further funding.
State lawmakers likely will be on board with providing supplemental dollars to keep the program going, Pugh said.
“What I’ve been told is that (Horizon) is a very good resource,” he said. “I haven’t experienced it myself, but if that is the case, that’s a good thing, and I think that’s something the Legislature would absolutely be interested in continuing.”
Shellem said the program is currently operating on cash reserves, but if it doesn’t receive more funds, Horizon won’t be able to exist in the 2026-27 academic year.
He said the board and its staff hope lawmakers approve a supplemental funding package as soon as February.
“We hope it’s one of the very first things that they take care of,” Shellem said. “Every legislator I’ve talked to understands the need, especially as you’ve seen the growth with all these small and rural districts.”
Horizon’s catalog of online courses includes 58 classes, including 26 for AP credit, taught by in-house instructors available to public schools for free.
Horizon also contracts with third-party education vendors to provide hundreds more course options that students can request through their public school.
Out of the 509 school districts in Oklahoma, 380 use the Horizon Consortium to collectively negotiate with these vendors for cheaper prices to provide the courses. Students then take these classes at no cost.
Districts saved $3.69 million this fiscal year with the discounted rates, a greater amount than Horizon’s requested budget, according to the statewide board’s staff.
A supplemental funding package from the Legislature would provide needed money before the next fiscal year begins, so Horizon can execute vendor contracts in the spring for the following school year and accommodate the program’s significant growth, staff said.
Demand began growing exponentially last school year once a state law took effect requiring all public high schools to provide at least four AP classes.
More than 33,500 students take online classes through third-party vendors or are enrolled in Horizon’s own courses. In 2022, the program served 7,211 students.
Pugh said he’s not surprised the program now needs a supplemental funding package.
“That means it’s an in-demand resource, and the kids are getting services,” Pugh said. “And I think that’s a win that we should be happy about.”
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