Statewide Charter School Board seeks funding for Horizon online consortium and authorizer functions
January 22, 2026 | 2026 Legislature OK, Oklahoma
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Rebecca Wilkinson, executive director of the Statewide Charter School Board, briefed the House A&B subcommittee on the agency’s first‑year accomplishments and its FY27 budget request. The board requested $3.3 million for the charter school performance division and $3.4 million for the Horizon digitally enhanced campus, and asked the Legislature to restore a $3.4 million supplemental allocation that Horizon did not receive for the current fiscal year.
Wilkinson said the board — created by legislation and effective July 1, 2024 — now authorizes 12 schools and has implemented an online dashboard for annual charter reporting. She said the Horizon consortium has grown rapidly: the program expanded from roughly 200 to about 380 participating districts this academic year and is serving approximately 340,000 students through a mix of Horizon‑provided courses and discounted third‑party vendor catalogs.
Dr. Lisa Daniels and Horizon staff described how the program negotiates vendor contracts, reviews third‑party online courses for alignment to Oklahoma standards, and supplies teachers of record when districts need them. Daniels said Horizon currently designs 58 in‑house courses (26 AP) and aggregates more than 800 third‑party options for districts; the agency estimates consortium discounts saved districts roughly $4.6 million this year compared with full sticker prices.
Wilkinson and staff explained that Horizon must hold a significant reserve to place vendor purchase orders during the summer: the board said it has built about $4 million in reserves to make bulk orders for hundreds of districts and then invoice districts after school year starts. Without that reserve, Horizon said, it could not coordinate the discounts or timely course delivery that underpin the consortium model.
On authorizer functions, Wilkinson said the board fields complaints and provides oversight, noting special education and records disputes are common topics. Committee members asked for additional data on district participation, complaint volumes and how Horizon handles eligibility for supplemental online courses; Wilkinson said she would supply follow‑up materials.
No action was taken during the hearing; the presentation and committee questions will inform the subcommittee’s budget work.
Wilkinson said the board — created by legislation and effective July 1, 2024 — now authorizes 12 schools and has implemented an online dashboard for annual charter reporting. She said the Horizon consortium has grown rapidly: the program expanded from roughly 200 to about 380 participating districts this academic year and is serving approximately 340,000 students through a mix of Horizon‑provided courses and discounted third‑party vendor catalogs.
Dr. Lisa Daniels and Horizon staff described how the program negotiates vendor contracts, reviews third‑party online courses for alignment to Oklahoma standards, and supplies teachers of record when districts need them. Daniels said Horizon currently designs 58 in‑house courses (26 AP) and aggregates more than 800 third‑party options for districts; the agency estimates consortium discounts saved districts roughly $4.6 million this year compared with full sticker prices.
Wilkinson and staff explained that Horizon must hold a significant reserve to place vendor purchase orders during the summer: the board said it has built about $4 million in reserves to make bulk orders for hundreds of districts and then invoice districts after school year starts. Without that reserve, Horizon said, it could not coordinate the discounts or timely course delivery that underpin the consortium model.
On authorizer functions, Wilkinson said the board fields complaints and provides oversight, noting special education and records disputes are common topics. Committee members asked for additional data on district participation, complaint volumes and how Horizon handles eligibility for supplemental online courses; Wilkinson said she would supply follow‑up materials.
No action was taken during the hearing; the presentation and committee questions will inform the subcommittee’s budget work.
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