Oklahoma's government tends to be supportive of educational issues; when it passed the lottery in 2004, the overwhelming support was driven by a commitment to fund public education. Governor Brad Henry's wife is a former teacher, and Governor Henry has pushed for teacher pay raises and improved education for students. The sense of legislative support for schools has been badly shaken by the senators who support SB 834, The School District Empowerment Program, introduced by Senators Ford and Jones on February 9, 2009.
The Oklahoma Education Association's Position on SB 834
According to OEA president Roy Bishop, who writes frequent legislative updates on his blog, Roy's Account, the SB 834 is unnecessary because Oklahoma already allows schools to deregulate. He foresees future problems if the bill gains final approval, warning that Oklahoma schools will ultimately suffer from:
- larger class sizes
- lack of union bargaining power, which affects contracts, pay, and and due process
- lack of funded mandates
- lack of enforcement of professional quality.
Bishop highlights his frustration with SB 834, wondering why the legislature passes mandates that they consider valuable, but then pass SB 834, which allows schools to ignore the mandates. "Why don't our legislators just fund the mandates?" Bishop asks on his blog. "Is this even worthy of debate?
The American Federation of Teachers Position on SB 834
The Oklahoma chapter of the AFT also opposes SB 834, noting on its legislative alert web page that, " If your position is public education includes certified teacher, school nurse, librarian, coach, teacher assistant, bus driver, cafeteria worker, secretary, or custodian, this bill could affect your job." The site also has a comprehensive list that compares Oklahoma's public school regulations to Oklahoma's charter school regulations, because SB 834 essentially changes public schools into charter schools.
The Difference Between Public Schools and Charter Schools
According to the chart presented on AFT-Oklahoma's Political Action website, Oklahoma charter schools only need to comply with seven of 55 important regulations for public schools. Passing SB 834 would mean that Oklahoma schools could see changes in attendance laws, laws governing certification of teachers, laws regarding the quality of substitute teachers, gifted and talented plans, library media regulations, teacher training, school employee contracts, and other issues. SB 834 could remove programs such as alternative schools, interpreters, wellness policies, 8th grade remediation, personnel record keeping, and college-prep curriculum.
How Oklahoma is Fighting Against SB 834
In addition to the strong OEA teacher's union, which will lobby on March 25th at the Oklahoma capitol, many groups are urging Oklahoma to contact their senators and representatives about the deregulation bill. The Oklahoma Science Teacher's Association is appalled by the bill, writing on their website that, "It threatens your local teachers association’s right to negotiate a contract and would eventually deregulate all Oklahoma Public Schools." There is also a Facebook page for Oklahomans Against SB 834, which lists the members of the House Education committee who are likely to vote for deregulation despite the massive amount of concern from educators.
House Education Committee Members Likely to Vote for SB 834
- Ann Coody, Chair ( R )
- Sally Kern ( R )
- Gus Blackwell, (R)
- Doug Cox ( R )
- David Dank (R)
- Tad Jones ( R )
- Earl Sears ( R )
- Daniel Sullivan ( R )
Oklahomans Against SB 834 has a spring break trip to the capitol scheduled to meet with representatives.
Oklahoma enjoys a communicative government, and citizens are being urged to contact their senators to share what they believe is important to Oklahoma schools. The phone number for the Oklahoma House of Representatives is 405-521-2711, and Governor Brad Henry, who is a significant and supportive voice for the children of Oklahoma and the educators who serve them, can be reached at 405-521-2342.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
