Dorman Unveils Attack On ‘Fal-esi’ Plan

Randy Krehbiel
Tulsa World

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joe Dorman announced the “first phase” of his education program on Thursday.

In doing so, Dorman signaled his intention to tie state Superintendent Janet Barresi around incumbent Gov. Mary Fallin’s neck.

“The ‘Fal-esi’ (which Dorman pronounced ‘fallacy’) plan — the Fallin-Barresi education plan — must be turned around,” Dorman said during a press conference in Tulsa.

Barresi’s aggressive approach to education reform stirred animosity across the political spectrum and put her frequently at odds with the Legislature. Her bid for re-election ended last month with a third-place finish in a Republican primary won outright by former state school board member Joy Hofmeister of Tulsa.

Barresi and Fallin have sought to take the public education system in generally the same direction but have disagreed at times on policy and implementation.

“Much has been said about Mary Fallin and Janet Barresi,” Dorman said. “The two of them combined have initiated changes that have caused what’s happened to our education system.

“Through their radical agenda on education, they have pursued many programs that have harmed the classrooms.”

Dorman specifically cited lack of financial support, high-stakes testing and lack of input from education professionals as shortcomings of the current regime.

Dorman’s proposal, called Classrooms First, would dedicate the state franchise tax — estimated at $35 million — to classroom costs and limit per-pupil state funding cuts.

Dorman said the money from the franchise tax, which now goes into the general fund, could not be spent on administrative salaries or for non-educational purposes.

A term-limited state representative from Rush Springs, Dorman previously proposed using the franchise tax to finance school storm shelters. He still supports the idea of state-financed shelters but said the proposal now being circulated as an initiative petition does not specify a revenue source.

Under Dorman’s Classrooms First proposal, the franchise tax would be distributed as part of the so-called midterm adjustment. Local districts would have some latitude on how the money is spent.

Dorman also emphasized that the winner of November’s gubernatorial election will oversee the adoption of new education standards.

“The governor has the ability to hire and fire the state board of education,” he said. “The governor will determine the education standards. We have to have input from education professionals, parents and other parties invested in education.”


Print pagePDF pageEmail page
  1. Dick Grace, 14 July, 2014

    Just what we need another education hack. Enough already.

*

Copyright © The McCarville Report