Local leaders have been voicing concern about the impending change for months. In February, Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo said the higher rates will drive up his city's out-of-district special education costs by $2.1 million to serve the same number of students.

The bill from Republican Rep. Ken King bars public schools from organizing programs “dedicated to celebrating or providing special instruction regarding a sexual preference.”

“A Nation at Risk,” released in 1983, lamented that “the educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and a people.”

The proposals come in addition to 44 other education bills that have passed through the Oklahoma Senate, including school reform, teacher recruitment and retention, and student outcomes.