Quotes of the Day

“Oklahoma prisons, as we all know, are over capacity right now. Looking at our projections, they are going to continue to grow unless we change the dynamics in our state.”

– Gov. Fallin, announcing that a task force appointed in July will develop criminal justice reform recommendations for the 2017 legislative session (Source)

“We already have a system that is on life support. If we continue down this road, the whole system is going to crumble.”

-Red Rock Behavioral Services CEO Verna Foust, expressing concern that further Medicaid provider rate cuts will exacerbate shortages in critical mental health services (Source)

“I know it’s easier for parents to talk to a local school leader and a local legislator at the capitol. It’s impossible to talk to people in Washington, D.C., and see a difference be made.”

-Ryan Owens, Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration co-executive director, on the new federal law that gives more education policy and decision-making back to state and local control (Source)

“Every bit of it comes back to economics. The money does not get very far beyond Oklahoma and Tulsa counties. That’s where the money is, and that’s where the money stays.”

-Licensed clinical social worker Robinson Tolbert, speaking about the difficulty of accessing mental health treatment in rural Oklahoma counties with the highest rates of drug abuse and mental illness (Source).

“Consider: There would be no need for State Question 779 – the proposed 1-percent sales tax hike for education – if the Legislature had done its job, making the tough decisions on taxes and tax breaks. Consider: There would be no need for State Questions 780 and 781 if the Legislature had acted on what nearly every member swears is a priority: criminal justice reform. Consider: There would be no need for State Question 776 if the Legislature had tackled the state’s problems with the death penalty, either abolishing it or settling on new, constitutionally acceptable procedures for carrying it out.”

– Arnold Hamilton, editor of the Oklahoma Observer, in his Journal Record column (Source)

“If we would focus on (mental illness), and if we would — as Benjamin Franklin said, use an ounce of prevention for a pound of cure — we could save money. We could save millions of dollars in the long run. To me, it’s relatively simple. We just have to do it.”

– Cathy Costello, widow of slain Labor Commissioner Mark Costello, who was killed one year ago by their son, Christian. The Costello family had spent nearly a decade trying to locate treatment for Christian’s paranoid schizophrenia (Source) 

“It was basically being run like a state prison, and there was not a lot of treatment going on. My philosophy is, it’s all about treatment and not giving up on kids. I’m about giving them the opportunities they should have had in the first place.”

– Jerry Fry, Facility Superintendent of the Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center, on the charter school operates within the juvenile center and provides high school education to the students there (Source)

“People who have never trained a day as a teacher are now responsible for teaching elementary school students how to read and do math. We have high school students who can’t take Spanish because their school can’t find a teacher. We are hemorrhaging teachers to Texas, Arkansas and Kansas. This is what it looks like when a state fails its schools and its children.”

– Shawn Hime, Executive Director of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association, on a survey that found that at least 2,800 public school jobs have been lost to budget cuts (Source)

“We’re working with kids with self-esteem issues. We’re working with kids with behavioral issues. We’re working with kids that may be sleeping on the floor and don’t get a good night’s sleep and they need to come to school. I hope I give them hope. I hope that this is a safe place. I want them to know we’re here and we’re the one constant in their life.”

-Alma Pearson, a social worker at Shidler Elementary School, one of the Oklahoma City schools trying to take a different approach to school discipline to reduce very high suspension rates (Source).

“Bake sales, raffles and corporate contributions aren’t the right way to fund public schools, but, in a time when the state has abandoned its duty to adequately fund education, every dollar counts. We thank every donor and look forward to a time when the state understands that public schools are an essential investment in the future and the responsibility of everyone.”

– The Tulsa World Editorial Board, on the Foundation for Tulsa Schools’ donation to Tulsa Public Schools earlier this week (Source)