Who Funds OPSRC, and Why Do They Do It?

As the executive director of the OPSRC, I report to the board, and we meet on a quarterly basis. Perhaps the most common question I get after highlighting the foundations and board members of the OPSRC is a variation of “why do these foundations and individuals support the OPSRC?” or put another way, “what’s the ulterior motive behind the OPSRC?” I think that this is a completely fair question to ask, and it’s one that I asked three years ago when I applied to be the executive director. This is the answer that I was told then and that I provide today: the four foundations supporting the OPSRC advocate for many different topics and issues, but they have a few common threads:

• All four organizations have a vested interest in the state of Oklahoma
• All four organizations invest a great deal of money in public education in Oklahoma
• All four organizations believe that the OPSRC can provide much needed support for public schools across the state of Oklahoma

Many folks point out that the different foundations have varying agendas and approaches to improving public education in the state of Oklahoma, and I don’t disagree—if you visit the websites for the four foundations, you can see that each has its own distinct mission, but they all share a goal of improving public education in the state of Oklahoma.

I hope this helps shed light on the OPSRC. In future posts, I plan to elaborate on our mission and how we’re working to provide resources and support for public schools across our great state. Thanks for your interest!