OKLAHOMA CITY – (AP) Gov. Mary Fallin on Tuesday said she had signed executive orders that could lead to administrative consolidation or annexation in higher and common education. Fallin said lawmakers who refused to support revenue-raising measures during the recently concluded special session indicated they wanted to see cost savings and efficiencies first.

One of Fallin’s executive orders requires that by Sept. 1, 2018, and every year after, the Board of Education must compile a list of school districts that spend less than 60 percent of their budget on instruction. The Board of Education will then make recommendations for administrative consolidation or annexation of the districts to be implemented in the 2020-21 school year. Prior efforts to consolidate administrative functions found little support in the Legislature.

“Oklahomans support additional dollars going into the classrooms, and we have to make sure those dollars make it there,” Fallin said. “According to a 2014 report, Oklahoma ranked sixth among states in the percentage of funds spent on district administration. This is unacceptable.”

Shawn Hime, executive director of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association, said Fallin’s order was “typical of the cheap political theater we continue to see at the state Capitol.” He said the governor’s action ignores the difficult reality facing schools in Oklahoma, which he said invests $1,500 less per student in public education than surrounding states. “Telling our schools to again turn over the couch cushions in search of pennies isn’t leadership,” Hime said. “School districts spend less than 4 percent of their budgets on administrative costs. State law already caps how much school districts can spend on administration.”

Steffie Corcoran, executive director of communications for the Oklahoma State Department of Education, said the agency was not notified that the order was coming until about 90 minutes before it was issued. “We were surprised this afternoon to learn that the governor was issuing an executive order related to school finances. The Governor’s Office did not consult or seek input from Superintendent Hofmeister or State Department of Education staff. “We will be reviewing the matter in the coming weeks.”

A second executive order calls on the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to develop a plan by December 2018 for the administrative consolidation of universities, colleges, centers and branch campuses and submit it to the governor and Legislature. The executive order says the plan shall be executed by December 2019.

The Governor’s Office said the order is compatible with efforts underway by the state regents’ Task Force on the Future of Higher Education. Fallin is term-limited and will leave office in 13 months. Her executive orders are not binding on the incoming governor.

In addition, she signed an executive order prohibiting agencies from purchasing promotional items, also called swag. The ban starts June 30. Between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020, promotional items can’t exceed $10 million, according to the order. Promotional items include pens, cups, trophies, bumper stickers and book bags.