Oklahoma school consolidation effort fails to get out of legislative committee

An initial attempt at school district consolidation, one of Gov. Mary Fallin's priorities, landed with a thud Monday as hundreds of parents, teachers and children swarmed the Capitol to criticize the effort.

A bill by Rep. Lee Denney, R-Cushing, was trounced in a packed House committee room, with three members in favor and eight against.

Oklahoma has more than 500 school districts. Some state leaders have suggested consolidation as a way to reduce administrative expenses and bring more resources to the classroom.

Denney's bill would have consolidated some underperforming dependent school districts. These districts educate students through elementary or middle school, and then transfer them to a nearby district.