 |
 |
“SB 834 is a devolution of the public school system from the Oklahoma State Board of Education into many individual school systems run by the local school boards.”
Huh??? Doesn’t government closest to the people work best?
Grindstone Journal:
Regressive Republicans can’t get rid of public schools wholesale, of course, but they can chip away at them. Their latest attack on public education is embodied in SB 834. They call it the “School District Empowerment Program.” Doesn’t that sound lovely? Isn’t it ironic that the deadliest poison comes in the most innocuous packaging?
SB 834 is a devolution of the public school system from the Oklahoma State Board of Education into many individual school systems run by the local school boards. That would be alarming enough, if that were all it did. Local school board elections are not as widely publicized as big state and national elections. District residents are often unaware that elections are taking place, and are even more ignorant of the qualifications of the candidates. School boards are vulnerable to capture by extremist groups such as the John Birch Society.
The bill does more than that, though. SB 834 proposes to undermine the whole foundation of the public school system by effectively reverting public schools to charter school status. In one fell swoop, the legislature could undermine all the progress we’ve made in collective bargaining, teacher pay and secular education. Read more…
We have a feeling that the members of the legislature will soon answer.
Today’s Tulsa World features an editorial that puts the blame for for skyrocketing tuition increases in the lap of the legislature. In many public forums, members of both parties blame the higher ed and university presidents such as the University of Oklahoma’s David Boren.
The World editorial says the legislature didn’t appropriate enough money. We’ve heard frequently from legislators that the regents and the university bosses are poor money managers and that the legislature appropriates sufficient fund id only the money were used more wisely.
Without a doubt, the higher education regents have practiced poor public relations skills with Oklahomans, and capitol observers say that a bi-partisan legislative attempt to remove tuition setting capabilities from the regents is assured. It will be politically popular. Regardless, today’s editorial won’t do anything to help the regent’s poor image, but it will irritate legislators. Watch for more public posturing from both sides as the elections near.
Sen. James Williamson (R-Tulsa) and House Speaker Chris Benge today praised the efforts of OSU-Tulsa to bring additional degree programs to its curriculum:
The OSU-Tulsa Board of Trustees and the A & M Board of Regents are fulfilling a promise they made to the state when OSU-Tulsa was created: that they would do everything they could to bring a comprehensive research university to Tulsa. For many years the Tulsa area did not have publicly supported comprehensive higher education. OSU made a commitment to us to provide the extensive course offerings to fill the need our constituents told us existed…I am excited and pleased that all of our effort is finally coming to fruition,” Williamson added.
Speaker Benge (R-Tulsa) echoed Williamson’s comments:
Ten years ago the Legislature created OSU-Tulsa to become a public comprehensive research university to serve our area. That goal can only be accomplished by offering the degree programs students need and want. By offering these programs, OSU-Tulsa is doing precisely what we asked them to do.
Benge, who recently obtained his degree in Business, said that it would have been more difficult to obtain his degree without the OSU-Tulsa option:
I wanted a degree from a comprehensive university. Had my only alternative been to drive to Norman or Stillwater I could never have completed my degree. There are so many students who find themselves in similar situations.
Williamson, who is a graduate of the University of Tulsa said,
I really don’t have a personal loyalty issue with any of our fine schools. The simple truth is that OSU, under the leadership of then-President Halligan, stepped up and made the commitment I wanted for my constituents and for the Tulsa area business community. Under President Gary Trennephol’s guidance, OSU-Tulsa has prospered and thrived. He and his Board will take OSU-Tulsa to the level we all envisioned.
The OSU-Tulsa plan would bring full degree programs in English, history, sociology, geology, psychology, geological sciences with premedical and preveterinary options, math, physics, chemistry, physical education, certain specialties in secondary education, accounting economics, hotel and restaurant administration and civil engineering.
On Friday, Governor Brad Henry approved $11.5 million in emergency funding for Oklahoma public schools, but added that K-12 education will need additional supplemental funding to help address a funding shortfall this fiscal year:
As I said last week, this is only a first step to addressing the immediate funding needs of our public schools. There is no question that K-12 education needs additional money, and I will be working with legislative leaders to provide that as quickly as possible.
The governor and state lawmakers are trying to fill a revenue shortfall in the House Bill 1017 fund, an account that supplements the K-12 schools’ budget.
Senate Bill 1354 by Sen. Mike Johnson and Rep. Ken Miller provides $10 million to cover part of the shortfall and another $1.5 million to address needs in the Academic Achievement Award program.
The emergency funding ensures that schools will receive their full funding allocation for the month of April, but additional appropriations will be needed for the remaining two months of the fiscal year.
When Gov. Henry and legislative leaders agreed to the $11.5 million appropriation last week, they made clear their commitment to provide additional supplemental funding to schools to fill the rest of the 1017 fund shortfall. State officials are awaiting final revenue collection numbers to determine how large an appropriation is necessary. Governor Henry:
We will keep the commitment we made to fill the education shortfall. The schools need this money to end their school year in an orderly manner.
On Friday, Gov. Henry also signed Senate Bill 1294 by Sen. Mike Johnson and Rep. Ken Miller. The legislation provides $3.1 million to the Corporation Commission to address delayed federal funding.
Wasn’t the lottery supposed to fix our education system?
The Tulsa World reported earlier this week:
Tulsa has been ranked the 12th-worst among the country’s 50 largest cities in the disparity of graduation rates between its inner-city school district and suburban counterparts…[and] Oklahoma City ranked as the 10th-worst in the graduation rate gap.
The dissatisfaction among education officials, according to the report is over the method used to calculate the drop-out rate, rather than on the fact that we have so many ninth-graders that are unlikely to finish high school.
The Muskogee Phoenix quotes Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, founding chair of America’s Promise Alliance, an organization dedicated to preparing students for college and the work force:
When more than 1 million students a year drop out of high school, it’s more than a problem, it’s a catastrophe.
STEM: The push to to improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, has published its annual technology study, and given Oklahoma a “C” for classroom access to technology, an “A-” for use of technology, and a “B-” for capacity to use technology, for an overall grade of “B-”.
The nation earns a grade of ["C+"] for leadership in technology policy and practice, based on an analysis of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. West Virginia earns the only ["A"], while Georgia and South Dakota receive ["A-"] marks.
Most states demonstrated relatively uneven performance across the areas of access, use, and capacity.
Superindendent Sandy Garrett and Governor Brad Henry are conspiring to ruin the summer vacations of students all across Oklahoma..bwahahahaah!!
No, not really, but they are seeking to bring the attendance up to the national average of 180 days, rather than the current 175 days per school year. The cost of adding these five days to the school year would be approximately $90M, according to a report in yesterday’s Joplin Globe.
Legislators promoting the change cite the need for students to be able to compete the global economy. The inspiration for wanting to increase the amount of time the government monopolizes of our children’s days? Communist China. Rep. Tad Jones (R-Claremore) said:
If we’re trying to compete with China, then we have to deal with a large-scale expansion of time…But we’ve got to make sure it’s a quality education, not just a quantity.
The Norman Transcript added the Jones wants to actually lengthen the school day, and have children attend school on only four days per week, to save the state money. No word on where those kids would go on the their days off from school while their parents are at work.
At least that seemed to be the majority opinion of the Oklahoma State House of Representatives.
The bill would have required parents to “opt-in” to public sex education courses for their children, rather than having to “opt-out” as they do, now. House Bill HB 2628, authored by George Faught (R-Muskogee)who explained, according to The Oklahoman:
The measure’s author, Rep. George Faught, R-Muskogee, said he wanted the “opt in” provision so a parent would know in advance that his child would be enrolled in a sex education class and would not receive instruction the parent did not approve of.
“They have the ultimate authority as to whether or not the child will attend that,” Faught said. Faught, who said his teenage children are home-schooled, said parents should be the primary source of sex education for their children and schools should play a secondary role.
Opponents of the bill cited the state’s high rate of teen pregnancy, as to why the current “opt-out” process is better. Groups supporting Planned Parenthood, such as Get R.E.A.L. Oklahoma called Faught an “extremist” the proposed legislation, “an example of out of control harassment by anti-choice legislators and lobby groups.” OKPNS has previously reported that the Planned Parenthood site TeenWire.com, also does not encourage parental involvement in the sex education of children.
Stigler Publics Schools Valorie Lewis has been “named one of the top 20 teachers in the United States and a member of the USA Today’s ALL USA TEACHER TEAM for 2007. Mrs. Lewis received a large trophy, $500 dollars for herself, and $2000 for the Stigler School District. Mrs. Lewis was nominated by Rita Echelle, former school counselor and parent of 2 of her students.”
In his state of the State speech, Gov. Brad Henry said,
Among our ranks of great teachers is Valorie Lewis, a third-grade teacher in Stigler. Her story is truly inspirational. Raised in utter poverty, Valorie and her family struggled simply to survive — homeless and not knowing when their next meal would come.
Valorie knows all too well the challenges of an at-risk childhood. That experience is what drove her to become a teacher. And her success in the classroom has been extraordinary. In fact, USA Today recently named her one of the top 20 teachers in the entire nation.
Valorie is committed to the children of Oklahoma, and we must keep our commitment to her and raise teacher pay to the regional average. Please help me honor Valorie Lewis, who is with us in the gallery today.
The Sequoya Times interviewed Lewis, who described some of her innovative teaching techniques:
And Lewis passes that inspiration, along with empathy and understanding, to her students through creative teaching that makes children want to come to school.
Those teaching methods include using chocolate to teach geometry. Lewis said the children learn about where cocoa comes from, learn how it is processed on Hershey’s Web site on the Internet, and they use M&Ms and Hershey bars for their math and geometry lessons. Chocolate Day is always in March, and she is preparing for that lesson now.
She also uses “Morning Munchers” to teach math, “Brain Olympics” to combine math and physical education, a “Wrangler of the Week” poster to build students’ self esteem, as well as international correspondence to teach geography, and role-playing to teach interpersonal skills.
Lewis said about teaching:
I really do love it. I’m just enough of a kid that I love it. I try to make it fun for the children, which makes it fun for me.
OK HB 3390 moves to the full house after being approved by the Education Committe yesterday. This bill, authorized by former Speaker Cargill, who is critized the current pay-scale, which is based on years of service:
That’s a 19th-century industrial model of compensation. Pay raises should be targeted to teachers who go the extra mile, work hard.
Thad Jones, co-author of the bill and chair of the Education committe explained,
There are no mandates in this legislation – school districts can decide if they want to participate and if they do, they are able to craft a plan around their local needs.
Each plan must include the following components:
Democrats and the Oklahoma Education association are critical of the bill, which they say does not adequately address the fact that Oklahoma teacher salaries are currently below the regional average.