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First, a big thank
you to Joe Landon and the American Bank of Oklahoma for chartering a bus
to carry Collinsville teachers to the State Capitol at no expense to the
school (again). Thank you to all that attended statewide, and thank you
to our State Senator and Representative for taking the time to field the
questions (and frustrations) of Collinsville educators and parents Monday
March 30, 2015 in Oklahoma City. -- Ted Wright |
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State Senator Rick
Brinkley (seated far left) fielded questions in a crowded State Capitol
conference room from the Collinsville contingency that could fit into
the room early Monday morning. |
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State
Representative Earl Sears (standing right) was encircled by the
same Collinsville group fielding questions about an hour later in
an empty snack bar near his State Capitol office just before the
"official" state-wide rally began outside on the Capitol
grounds (facing the south steps) at 12:30pm. |
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Editorial / Ted
Wright Personal Opinion: I doubt Senator Brinkley nor Representative
Sears heard any "new" information or concerns Monday but couldn't
avoid feeling the passion of the Collinsville educators and parents as
they expressed their frustrations and desire for both immediate and long
term solutions to the continued yearly funding cuts and excessive state
mandated testing / evaluations / etc. I didn't hear answers from either
Brinkley or Sears that there would be any significant funding improvements
this year with state revenues down significantly as the oil/gas industry
is declining. A flat public education budget is likely the best we can
hope for this coming year with an assist from the state "rainy day"
fund. There is hope that the legislature will approve allowing the state
to use already required (and university accepted) ACT testing results
and eliminate EOI testing. There were many other areas discussed incuding
teacher shortages, vouchers, school district consolidation (there are
527 total with 24 in OKC), postponing state income tax cuts, and capping
certain other non-education budgets (education is apparently already 52%
of the total state budget including public, higher and technical schools).
There seems to be universal agreements that the atmosphere of hope for
Oklahoma Education has improved with the change in leadership at the State
Department of Education. New State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister even
addressed the rally at the capitol this year while her predecessor was
notably absent last year. Education is not the only state funded priority
and there are no clear black and white solutions when you are "robbing
Peter to pay Paul" but I am hopeful that everyone in the state will
work together to find better solutions to problems that continue to hinder
the future of our youth and our economy with us old timers paying the
taxes (at the city, county, state, and federal level). Today's students
will continue to pay for our mistakes ... how long can we wait? And for
better or worse, this state (and likely the nation) is "too closely
reliant on" the oil/gas industry and our economy will contine to
rise and fall with it, barring some significant far reaching changes in
the future. -- Ted Wright 3/31/2015 |
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Home
(email questions/comments to wrightted@aol.com).
Ted Wright -- last update 3/31/2015
(EducationRally2-OKC.html) www.cvilleok.com
Copyright 2015 -- Collinsville, Oklahoma
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