By Ryan Owens
Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA)
Oklahomans overwhelmingly support their local public schools. Sadly our state leaders are unable to reflect the sentiment of voters as state financial support of public schools continues to lag. While some state officials have fought for increased financial support, the reality is that our public schools have fewer resources and more students than in 2009.
There is a loud minority unwilling to accept some hard facts. It is true that the state investment in common education has increased to cover state-mandated costs. It is disingenuous to suggest that school districts actually have more funding per student. Today our public schools operate on $225.60 less per funded student than they did in 2009. Each year since 2010 the state has been unable to restore state-appropriated funds to school districts through the funding formula to pre-recession levels. Over that seven year period, our schools have lost more than $1.3 billion in state-appropriated financial support.
What is the result of the $1.3 billion deficit? Larger class sizes, four day school weeks, fewer opportunities for kids, and a well-documented teacher shortage threatening our children’s future. The $1.3 billion deficit hurts communities as educators lost wages that would have gone to make purchases at local grocery stores, car dealerships, and other local businesses.
Previous efforts to increase funding for common education and raise teacher pay through the legislative process have failed. In 2014 and 2015 State Representative Lee Denney (R-Cushing) and State Senator Jim Halligan (R-Stillwater) joined forces with educators to establish a plan to fund common education exactly as the state funds transportation. Despite large education rallies at the Capitol, the effort failed. In 2015 Superintendent Joy Hofmeister proposed the #OKHigh5 plan to extend the school year and provide teachers a $5,000 raise. Our state leaders said no.
In the absence of solutions our children suffered. Voters should be disturbed to learn that every Oklahoma student from the fifth grade down has experienced nothing but state budget cuts throughout the course of their education.
Fortunately OU President David Boren and Stand for Children crafted State Question 779 (SQ 779). SQ 779 provides needed investment in priority areas to improve reading, high school graduation rates, and college and career readiness. SQ 779 honors the work of teachers, providing them a permanent $5,000 raise.
It is important for Oklahomans to loudly support SQ 779. Those in opposition claim that higher sales taxes threaten our state. What is often glossed over is that our state’s overall tax burden is 45th in the nation. Others protest that schools should seek additional property taxes rather than sales taxes because sales tax is the primary revenue stream for cities. Left out is the fact that Oklahoma municipalities already control over $1 billion in property taxes annually.
Our past experiences have proven that SQ 779 is the only viable option to increase funding for education. Students and teachers deserve to flourish. Please join me on November 8th and vote yes on SQ 779.
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Ryan Owens is the Executive Director of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA).
Mr. Owens fails to mention that this increase in sales tax will leave Oklahoma as having the highest sales tax in the nation. [Do I hear people cheering “We’re number 1! We’re number 1!” No, I do not.] SQ 779 is an appallingly bad idea.
I’ve got an idea, Mr. Owns. If more money is the answer, invite those who agree with you to chip in out of their own pockets. I’m sure the money will arrive in buckets.
Mr. Owens, who makes up for a drop in sales tax revenues as we are now experiencing? Will you cover the deficit out of teacher salaries? I doubt it!
Sales taxes are not the solution. We need a state school ad valorem tax which is much more reliable.
I’m a teacher. I will vote NO because I don’t want higher taxes. Rein in government spending. If anyone wants to pay higher taxes to the state just write me a check and I will take it and that will give me a raise and other people’s taxes won’t go up! You can always ask a teacher if there is something you could provide for their classroom, or give a teacher a gift card or cash. That way it will go where you want it to go instead of to some administrator’s fancy lunch or trip. Wake up people! Teachers are leaving the profession because of unruly kids, lack of administrative support, and school mandates for test data and records that take too much time to do and make a teacher tired of it all. I know – this is my 25th year to teach. No one mentions low pay to me – it is all the other things that make them want to quit.