After spending the entire session working toward a balanced budget, we signed on the bottom line Friday and voted on a deal.

At the end of the day, we appropriated $6.9 billion to dozens of state agencies. I’m proud to say we were able to keep funding for 15 agencies flat, and some of those departments even saw funding increases. Those agencies are mostly core services of government.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education, for example, will receive a $51 million appropriation from the Rainy Day Fund, bringing its funding 1.6 percent higher than it was last year. All totaled, the agency wil...