“Every year at the February Board of Equalization meeting a finding is made on whether lottery funds supplanted or enhanced education funding. In past years, it had always enhanced,” said Michael McNutt, spokesman for Gov. Mary Fallin.

“This is the first time a finding of supplanting has been made, and the board carried out its responsibility regarding the finding. The Legislature will need to take up the process from here and act in accordance with the law.”

According to the calculations by OMES reported by Oklahoma Policy Institute, education funding was reduced in fiscal 2017 by 0.8 percent as overall appropriations were cut 0.5 percent. Therefore OMES found that the Oklahoma Education Lottery Trust Fund supplanted funding for education by 0.3 percent, or $10,144,171.

Lawmakers must appropriate the $10 million back into the Lottery Trust Fund before making any appropriations for the next fiscal year. That money would then have to be appropriated from the trust fund according to statutory requirements: 45 percent to common education, 45 percent to higher education and 5 percent each to the school consolidation fund and the teachers’ retirement system.