Friday, February 12, 2010

SQ 744 FACT OF THE WEEK

No Guarantee that even $1 more gets to the classroom

The way State Question 744 is written there is absolutely no accountability for
the huge infusion of dollars that would be allocated. Even though the State
Question is being pushed on the idea of getting more dollars to the classroom,
there are no criteria for spending the money. That means it could all go
to administration, travel, salaries, buildings, programs...............and not one
dollar to the kids.

3 comments:

  1. Representative Osborn,

    Thank you for your opinion on SQ744. As a concerned citizen, I am always interested in learning about our legislators positions regarding education funding in Oklahoma.

    I realize that the legislature is opposed to SQ744 because it could be considered an "unfunded mandate" for you. Education has been on the receiving end of unfunded mandates for quite some time, and perhaps the reason there is not more strict language regarding how funds are spent is because every school district is different in their needs. While mandates are sometimes needed, we are at the point where we need to take the "mandate handcuff" off education. The needs of a Jenks or Broken Arrow district are going to be much different that the needs of the small rural districts.

    Regarding the statement in your blog:

    If a district's enrollment is growing, and they need to build a building to house additional classrooms, why would you not consider that a dollar spent on the kids?

    If a school needs to hire (or at this point, keep) teachers to maintain class ratios that allow active instruction for all students, why would you not consider this a dollar spent on the kids?

    If a teacher traveled to a career enhancement seminar to advance their skills and learn new ideas for use in the classroom, why would you not consider that a dollar spent on the kids?

    If a school used money for a new music, art or athletic program that was needed, why would you not consider that a dollar spent on the kids?

    As a graduate of public education, and now as a parent involved in public education I would tell you that every person I have encountered along the way, have left me with the impression they are in this field because of their desire to improve the lives of children. Your blog seems to indicate you feel otherwise.

    Please consider that perhaps the reason for the existence of SQ744 is that citizens of Oklahoma are ready to put education higher on the priority list of the state budget.

    Regards,

    Melissa Abdo
    Tulsa, OK

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  2. Your blog is great and the info on SQ744! Glad that I found you!

    Lauren Clay :)

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  3. Representative Osborn,

    I also thank you for your opinion on SQ744. My wife and I operate a small farm and ranch in south Tulsa County, Mounds, Oklahoma. We have two wonderful girls, a 9th grader and 6th grader. I have had the pleasure of working for B.F. Goodrich, Mercury Marine, Department of Interior – Fish and Wildlife Division and Oklahoma Fire Service, retired.

    As you know, Oklahoma’s legislature is the 16th highest paid in the United States. When Oklahomans inquire about legislative rates of pay, we are told that a high rate of pay will attract the best and brightest to Oklahoma City to run our state. Would not the same logic be true for our children’s classrooms?

    Oklahoma ranks 46th nationally for per-pupil expenditures (of $7,615 compared to national average of $9,963) and 42nd for its average teacher salary (of $43,551 compared to national average of $52,308) in 2007-08 according to “Rankings of the States 2008 and Estimates of School Statistics 2009.” The regional average for per-student spending stood at $8,870, and the regional average for teacher pay was $45,172. Anyone can see, these statistics will not likely attract the best and the brightest to our state’s classrooms and it certainly won't bode well for our highly certified classroom teachers already paid much less than they deserve nationally.

    I am not a believer in throwing money at a problem but presently, Oklahoma is spending more on inmates each day then on our public school children, Oklahoma’s future!

    Total public school enrollment is projected to set new enrollment records each year from 2009 through 2018, reaching an estimated high of 53.9 million students in 2018. According to projections, 38.2 million will be enrolled in prekindergarten through grade 8 and 15.8 million in grades 9-12 in 2018. The South is expected to maintain the largest share of enrollment in 2018, with 40 percent of students residing in this region. (ies.ed.gov)

    What better way to attract business to Oklahoma, with these numbers of students deserving an excellent education, than to provide one!

    I thank you for your time and service to Oklahoma and citizens like us. It is time for action, and as Representative Tibbs put it so eloquently to a group of parents in Oklahoma City a few days ago, now is not the time to be a politician, but a statesman. Oklahomans must invest in our great state and our state’s future, Oklahoma’s children. Many of our state’s ills can be solved by simply providing our youth with an outstanding education, an education that will require all Oklahomans to pay a little bit more in taxes.

    Obviously, a short term approach is to continue to invest in Oklahoma prisons or we can take a longer range approach and invest in our future – Oklahoma’s children and their education?

    Roger and Mary Ann Wright
    Two Catalpa Ranch
    Mounds, OK

    ReplyDelete