House Democrats applauded the decision Thursday to shelve legislation that would have scrapped pre-kindergarten education in Oklahoma.
Senate Bill 1324 by Sen. Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, would have removed early childhood education from the State Aid formula.
Pre-K education is “one of the truly popular highlights of our public education system,” said House Minority Leader Scott Inman. The “few dollars that would be saved” by eliminating early childhood education programs “would be offset by the cost of depriving young children of the education they need and deserve,” the Del City Democrat said.
“Children and families benefit when a child is part of an enriched learning environment with a certified teacher and other children,” said Rep. Jeannie McDaniel, D-Tulsa. “Most families recognize the importance of early education in helping children develop their social and emotional skills.”
Research shows a strong link between early oral language skills and later literacy skills, including reading comprehension, said McDaniel, a member of the House Committee on Common Education.
Also, learning the alphabet in pre-K classrooms “is especially important because it is critical for understanding phonics,” McDaniel continued. Learning the names of letters “helps children understand that there is a relationship between letters and sounds.”
“We have achieved one small victory, but public education remains under siege in the Legislature,” said Inman, a parent of two young children. “We urge parents, teachers and administrators to contact their legislators and make their voices heard on issues such as vouchers and the proposed forced consolidation of Oklahoma’s 97 K-8 dependent school districts.”
House Democrats contend there are several problems with forced consolidation. “The chief problem I have is that there are situations where a dependent K-8 school might be required to merge with a nearby independent pre-K-12 school even though the dependent school may be better academically and financially,” said Rep. Donnie Condit, D-McAlester, a retired school teacher/administrator.
Also, forced consolidation would “kill many small towns in rural Oklahoma,” Inman asserted.
