Governor Fallin has approved rules submitted by the Department of Education (SDE) establishing an A-F report card system to grade school performance. The rules were adopted by the State Board of Education in March, based on a law (HB 1456) enacted by the Legislature and signed by Fallin in 2011.
Fallin said the law, as well as the rules submitted by the SDE, are part of a comprehensive effort to improve performance and accountability measures at public schools.
“Nothing is more important to the future of this state than improving our schools,” Fallin said. “Job growth and prosperity are directly linked to workforce quality and educational achievement. All of those things require high-quality educational institutions at every level.”
“To ensure that we are providing quality schools that are serving our children well and to identify those instances where we are not, the state is establishing an A-F grading system to measure school performance. This new system will allow parents, students, teachers and administrators to quickly and accurately evaluate the performance of their schools based on data linked to graduation rates, high level course work, performance on standardized tests, and a variety of other factors. In those instances where a school receives an unsatisfactory score, the state and community can then work cooperatively to improve that school and to deliver the kind of high-quality learning environment that our children need and deserve.”
“The ‘A-F’ grading reform passed in the Legislature and signed into law last year was an important step forward for the state and the education community, and the rules submitted by the Board of Education accurately reflect the intent of that reform effort.”
Superintendant of Public Instruction Janet Barresi agreed that the new reforms, outlined in detail in the rules approved by the governor, would increase transparency and accountability in education.
“The A-F reform has strong support among parents and the general public,” Barresi said. “The will of the people was carried out last year when legislators passed the reform and it was signed into law.”
“It is clear that Oklahoma must encourage excellence, not reward mediocrity. One of the best ways to do this is to give parents and citizens a clear-cut, easy-to-understand way of learning about school performance. Parents shouldn’t have to interpret obscure numbers to find out how their child’s school is doing. The new A-F system is a step forward in transparency and accountability.”
HB1096
Governor Mary Fallin today released the following statement on Senate Bill 1096, directing all state agencies and higher education institutions to achieve an energy efficiency and conservation improvement target of at least 20 percent by the year 2020. The governor outlined a proposal for such an initiative in her Oklahoma First Energy Planand asked the Legislature to write the plan into law in her State of the State address earlier this year. Estimates indicate that savings to the state could range from $300 to $500 million over 10 years.
“This energy efficiency bill is a central component of our agenda to make Oklahoma’s state government smaller, smarter and more cost efficient, and I applaud the Legislature for sending it to my desk.
“Senate Bill 1096 has the potential to save hundreds of millions of dollars simply by pursuing common sense energy conservation policies. That’s money that can be returned to taxpayers or used to fund essential services like education, transportation, public safety and health initiatives. This is an important step forward for Oklahoma and for anyone who cares about good government.”
SB 1096 now heads to the governor’s desk.
Lake Murray Lodge
Construction of a new lodge in Lake Murray State Park will soon be underway following the Governor’s approval of Senate Bill 1913 Tuesday. The legislation by Sen. Frank Simpson and Rep. Pat Ownbey, authorizes the Department of Tourism to use $15 million from the State Park Trust Fund for the construction and maintenance of the new facility.
“Building this new lodge is going to have a tremendous economic impact on Ardmore, Carter County and the state by attracting even more tourists to this beautiful part of Oklahoma,” said Simpson, R-Ardmore. “I want to think my colleagues in the Legislature and Governor Fallin for their support of this important tourism bill and helping ensure that this project will be able to get underway this year. I personally can’t wait to stay at the new lodge. It’s going to be beautiful, and I know so many others are just as excited for it to be finished as me.”
Gov. Fallin praised legislators for their quick action on the important tourism legislation.
“Lake Murray is a crown jewel of the Oklahoma park system. The addition of a new lodge will further enhance the recreational facilities and help attract more visitors to a beautiful part of our state,” said Fallin. “This is an exciting development for Ardmore and south central Oklahoma. I want to thank Senator Simpson and Representatives Ownbey and Hardin for their dedication and leadership in this effort.”
Now that the bill has been signed, Department of Tourism officials can begin the process of finding an architect and engineer. Construction will begin next year and the lodge is expected to be completed by September 2015.
Lake Murray currently attracts over 13,000 vacationers a year who contribute $1.4 million to the local economy. Local officials expect those numbers to increase after the new lodge is constructed.
Ownbey noted that the self-sufficient project will be of great benefit to local communities and the state’s tourism efforts.
“Funding for the new lodge will come from revenue sources derived from the park’s own resources,” said Ownbey, R-Ardmore. “So revenue from Lake Murray will go to pay for a new lodge that will further increase money coming into Oklahoma and our local communities from out-of-state vacationers such as those coming from North Texas. Thousands of vacationers visit this great attraction and more will come with the new lodge. It’s a great step forward for the state and won’t cost a single taxpayer-funded dollar.”
Oklahoma operates 41 state park properties and owns another 14 state parks. Royalty payments from the parks owned by the state are used for capital improvements at all of the parks. With nearly 12,500 acres, Lake Murray State Park is larger than all the other state-owned parks combined. The park has brought in over $15 million worth of royalty payments. SB 1913 will allow that money to be used for the construction of the lodge as well as any maintenance costs through June 30, 2020.
Rep. Tommy Hardin, R-Madill, also coauthored the bill.
“The new lodge will help boost the economies of nearby towns such as Marietta and contribute tax revenue through tourism dollars from Texans and other local tourists who visit the lake,” said Hardin.
SB 1913 will go into effect July 1, 2012.
May 3 2012 | Posted in
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House Communications Division
Rep. Ed Cannaday has called for a moratorium on new testing requirements for Oklahoma high school seniors, saying appropriate oversight is not in place.
“The entity charged with overseeing the testing process has never even met, which brings into question the validity of the entire system,” said Cannaday, a Porum Democrat who is a former school administrator. “As a result, I agree with fellow educators who have argued for lifting the requirement this year.”
\High school graduation testing requirements were enacted in 2005 as part of Achieving Classroom Excellence, or ACE, law. This year’s seniors are the first to have to meet the requirement.
Under that law, students must pass four of seven end-of-instruction exams in Algebra I, English II, Algebra II, geometry, English III, biology or U.S. history.
At this week’s meeting of the State Board of Education, Jenks Middle School Principal Rob Miller asked for all Oklahoma students who have failed to pass four of seven end-of-instruction tests to be granted a waiver. Miller argued that the tests are not valid because an independent oversight group has failed to carry out its responsibilities.
In 2009, lawmakers established the Educational Quality and Accountability Board to oversee and govern the testing program. The group has yet to meet.
“Without the oversight board, the whole testing program can be called into question,” Cannaday said. “I believe Oklahoma students should not be required to meet graduation standards that have not been given the review required by state law.”
Glen Johnson, Chancellor of Higher Education, is today’s guest on The Verdict.
The former legislative leader will discuss new developments in higher education with cohosts Kent Meyers and Mick Cornett.
The show airs n Cox Channels 3 and 703 at 9 a.m.; it repeats Monday at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday at 10:00 a.m., and Wednesday at
10:00 a.m.
Apr 22 2012 | Posted in
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News You Can Use
- Law professor Andrew Spiropoulos, OCPA’s Milton Friedman Distinguished Fellow, says this is no time to go wobbly on Oklahoma tax cuts — and visitors from Missouri and Kansas agree.
- 12 percent of U.S. millionaires are educators(that’s more than entrepreneurs, business owners, or executives).
- Jenks superintendent Kirby Lehman earns a quarter-million dollars a year to oversee a school district which was recently placed on the federal needs-improvement list.
- 2,086 people in Oklahoma’s higher-education system are paid six-figure salaries. For example, the president of Cameron University, a four-year university from which only 5.4% of the students graduate in four years, was paid a third of a million dollars in 2010.
- The new face of public education: “It’s not public or private. It’s not liberal or conservative. It’s pragmatic.”
Apr 6 2012 | Posted in
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Former Superintendent Sandy Garrett
Megan Rolland and Randy Ellis report in The Oklahoman today, More than $100,000 that went into what auditors have dubbed as state Education Department slush funds was solicited by state education officials from 31 companies that had no-bid contracts with that agency, records reveal.
Read more: http://newsok.com/sole-source-contractors-helped-finance-oklahoma-education-department-slush-fund/article/3662555#ixzz1qm1aHOgR.
Apr 1 2012 | Posted in
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Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Brandon Dutcher, vice president for policy at the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), released the following statement today after the ruling against the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship Program for Children with Disabilities:
“The fact that the government can use taxpayer dollars to sue law-abiding citizens — especially the parents of special-needs children — is nothing short of appalling, and should be of great concern to all Oklahomans.
“At a time when educational freedom is advancing in Oklahoma and throughout the U.S., this temporary setback is disappointing. The research continues to show that school choice improves public schools and saves taxpayers money — all while rescuing the children who need it most. Given that track record, a minor setback like today’s isn’t going to thwart the continued march toward educational freedom.”
Mar 27 2012 | Posted in
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Office Of Rep. Chuck Hoskin
An amendment to HB2563, by Rep. Chuck Hoskin, D-Vinita, was approved today by the House by a vote of 62-19. The amendment would give Native American tribes a greater voice at the Capitol by elevating the Oklahoma Native American Liaison to a cabinet-level position.
“I am thrilled that the House approved my amendment, which will ensure that the Native American tribes have an appropriate level of input at the Capitol,” said Rep. Hoskin. “By approving this bill, as amended, we have recognized the importance of a partnership between the tribes and state government.”
The bill itself would eliminate the blood requirement for the Native American Liaison now in law, and require the liaison to be a member of a federally-recognized tribe. The bill with the amendment passed 83-2.
With the huge economic impact the tribes have on the state, said Rep. Hoskin, it is important that there be a cabinet-level position to inform the Governor on tribal affairs.
“Contrary to the concerns of some of my colleagues, we are not hamstringing the Governor. She is free to appoint whomever she wishes to the position, as long as that person is a member of a federally-recognized tribe. That gives her a lot of flexibility, and this cabinet member will ultimately be a valuable resource for the Governor.”
The Native American Liaison, as a cabinet member, would directly advise the Governor on policy issues related to Native American affairs in the state and inform the legislature on those issues as well.
“This bill as amended will strengthen the government-to-government relationship between the tribes and the state of Oklahoma,” said Rep. Hoskin. “With the huge economic and cultural contributions the tribes make to the state, I think this position is crucial, especially after the elimination of the Indian Affairs Commission last year. This will return to the tribes much influence on policymaking that affects them.”
House Media Division
Rep. Jabar Shumate has been named a national leader in education reformer as part of the Black Alliance for Educational Options’ 2012 Ed Reform Champions Under 40 for his work on expanding educational options in Oklahoma.
Shumate (D-Tulsa) was the sponsor of legislation that allowed higher education institutions to authorize charters. He also helped establish the first authorizing contract between Langston University and the Deborah Brown Charter School in Tulsa.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by the Black Alliance for Educational Options,” Shumate said. “Although I believe in supporting and improving our public schools, I also believe in supporting alternatives, especially for students in schools that are not adequately serving them. I have supported special needs scholarship legislation and regularly pushed for greater school choice.”
The organization launched its Ed Reform Champions Under 40 initiative earlier this year, seeking nominations of individuals under the age of 40 who are increasing access to high-quality educational options for low-income and working-class black families in the United States. The 2012 champions include school leaders, policymakers, teachers, activists, entrepreneurs, students and a journalist.
Mar 6 2012 | Posted in
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Megan Rolland & Carrie Coppernoll
The Oklahoman
The superintendent of the Oklahoma City School District and the city’s school board president announced Wednesday they would fight any takeover of struggling schools by state officials.
“Changing the strategic direction at this time could be fatal to our district and not good to the students of our school system,” Superintendent Karl Springer said during a morning news conference at the state Capitol.
The state Education Department received a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Act earlier this month. The waiver enabled the state to develop a new accountability model and a wide range of leniencies from the tough educational model, which has ruled since 2002.
One portion of the state’s waiver allows the Education Department to hire private companies to run failing public schools that are unable to demonstrate the ability to improve.
“We will resist any takeover by the state Department of Education of our schools,” Oklahoma City School Board Chairman Angela Monson said. “We do have a plan. We do plan to implement and execute that plan. We stand ready to work with the state Department of Education, but we need the same flexibility that they will give to either themselves or a private firm.”
Damon Gardenhire, spokesman for the Education Department, said no decision has been made about which schools, if any, will be taken over by the state.
Read more: http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-education-leaders-say-they-will-fight-state-takeover-of-schools/article/3651309#ixzz1nEWAtDTn
Feb 23 2012 | Posted in
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Brandon Dutcher
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
In Democracy in America, Tocqueville warned that if despotism were to come to America, it wouldn’t be your garden-variety despotism. “It would be more extensive and milder, and it would degrade men without tormenting them.” He speaks of a “regulated, mild, and peaceful servitude” which “does not tyrannize, it hinders, compromises, enervates, extinguishes, dazes, and finally reduces each nation to being nothing more than a herd of timid and industrious animals of which the government is the shepherd.”
During a House Education Committee hearing in Michigan this month, one of the benevolent shepherds in the education establishment inadvertently revealed what many educators think of we the sheeple:
Ms. Squires doubtless would be surprised to learn that parents, in addition to knowing what’s best for their children, in many cases actually
educate children better than the educators themselves. As Milton Friedman observed, the explosive growth of homeschooling is “evidence of the failure of our current education system. There is no other complex field in our society in which do-it-yourself beats out factory production or market production. Nobody makes his or her own car. But it still is the case that parents can perform the job of educating their children, in many cases
better than our present education system.”
Even if parents don’t choose to do the teaching themselves, they are quite capable of choosing good schools for their children. But many education “professionals,” especially administrators, tend to look down their noses at parents, who, after all, are mere “amateurs.” These professionals have forgotten that the word “amateur” traces to the Latin amare (“to love”), and that amateurs are people whose actions are motivated by love rather than something else. People motivated by love make it their business to “know what’s best” for the objects of their affection.
Still, the condescension persists, and not just in Michigan. In 2010 I watched from the House gallery as the Oklahoma state representative from District 3—a former school principal and superintendent from Arkoma, Oklahoma—took to the House floor to argue against a bill which would give more school choices to parents of special-needs students.
In some cases, the benevolent solon from LeFlore County magnanimously allowed, mothers and fathers “know what’s best for their child.” Yes indeed, in some cases, mothers and fathers are actually “very good in making decisions about their child.” But in other cases, he warned darkly, “I’ve seen students with disabilities where the parents had disabilities also. Are they really the ones that ought to be making the decision about where that child goes?”
Now one can only speculate as to what’s going on in Arkoma, what reproductive practices and resultant disorders are fueling this multi-generational cycle of unreliable decision-making. I find it difficult to believe it’s a widespread problem. And I find it difficult to believe I’m the only Oklahoman who resents the paternalistic impulses of a politician (Tocqueville warned of “an immense tutelary power” which would take charge of watching over us)—especially a politician who once superintended a school district where the math achievement of the average student is at the
12th percentile relative to an international comparison group.
Many education professionals don’t want parents to have the opportunity to choose what’s best for their children. Because given a choice, these amateurs may well head for the exits of their local public school. And “I don’t think we need to open the door, to just throw it wide open,” this lawmaker said. After all, parents “may think they know what’s best—but do they?”
Well, one has to admire the candor. But this does leave me with one very important question. If the parents of House District 3 aren’t capable of choosing a good school for their children, how can they be trusted to choose a competent official to represent them in the Oklahoma House of Representatives?
Feb 21 2012 | Posted in
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Governor Fallin has approved rules submitted by the Department of Education (SDE) establishing an A-F report card system to grade school performance. The rules were adopted by the State Board of Education in March, based on a law (HB 1456) enacted by the Legislature and signed by Fallin in 2011.
