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Today In The News
Tougher Reading Test Means Thousands More Students Could Be Held Back: Oklahoma is raising the bar on its pivotal, high-stakes reading test administered to third graders, which is likely to leave more students at risk of repeating the third grade. Twelve percent of third graders, those who scored “unsatisfactory” – the lowest level – were flagged for retention in 2016. Beginning in 2017-18, students will have to score “proficient” in reading to receive automatic promotion to fourth grade — a level above what is required now [Oklahoma Watch].
Funding raid to slow Oklahoma agency’s transportation plans: The Legislature’s decision to divert about $150 million in Oklahoma Department of Transportation funding to help close a hole in next year’s state budget is expected to delay the start of some projects in its eight-year construction plan, the agency’s director said Monday. But Director Mike Patterson told members of the Transportation Commission that ongoing construction projects will not have to be suspended, as was initially feared when lawmakers were discussing the possibility last month of cutting funding by more than $250 million [Associated Press].
Public schools recoil at Trump’s budget emphasis on school choice: President Donald Trump says he wants to offer parents more choices on where they educate their children by dramatically boosting federal spending on vouchers and charter schools and slashing it for a slew of public school programs. … In Oklahoma, for instance, State School Superintendent Joy Hofmeister said in an interview she worries the cutbacks could worsen a teacher’s shortage that’s forced the state to allow an unprecedented number of applicants with no professional training to become teachers [CNHI].
Oklahoma demand for after-school programs increasing: Education officials and advocates of after-school programs say there’s a rising demand for such programs in Oklahoma, but that many families can’t afford them. The Oklahoman reports that most children who aren’t able to access an after-school program live in low-income communities. Some believe the growing demand for after-school programs is linked to the growing rate of children living in poverty. A report released last year by nonprofit Afterschool Alliance says more than 230,000 children in Oklahoma would participate in an after-school program if one was available [Associated Press].
Legislature continues to underfund education in Oklahoma: News that former state teacher of the year Shawn Sheehan was leaving Norman for a school in north Texas was sad to hear, but it’s an unfortunate reality many Oklahoma educators and school districts are having to deal with. The state legislature, for the second consecutive year, has failed to include any structural revenue changes significant enough to adequately fund education [Editorial Board / Norman Transcript].
‘Teaching in Oklahoma is a dysfunctional relationship’: Following the absurd last week of the 2017 regular legislative session, Oklahoma made the front page of The Washington Post for gutting education funding to the point where 96 of the state’s 513 school districts will be reducing the school week to four days. The Post reviews the sorry story of how Oklahoma has cut education spending more than any other state, driving it down 14 percent since 2008. Only three states spend less per student than we do [NonDoc].
DPS fears ease with 2018 budget allocation: As its budget increases, the Department of Public Safety has found the path out of the woods, but it’s not getting there this year. The Legislature increased the department’s budget by about $6 million, and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority pledged to spend $5 million to sponsor a trooper academy. The combination will kill the 100-mile-per-day driving limit on highway patrolmen, add a few dozen troopers to the force, and ensure no employees will be required to take unpaid days off [Journal Record]. Next year’s budget leaves Oklahoma services massively underfunded [OK Policy].
I-235 work goes quickly; road to reopen today: Oklahoma City’s busy Interstate 235 thoroughfare is expected to open for the Tuesday morning commute. The interstate originally was targeted to reopen by 8 p.m. Wednesday, but work was moving ahead of schedule, said Mike Patterson, executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation [NewsOK].
Banking Department continues to reduce assessments: While many other state government departments struggle with a dearth of revenue, the Oklahoma Banking Department is giving money back to the industry it oversees. Including the most recent fee discount, the department has reduced assessments to the industry by more than $10 million over the last five years, Deputy Commissioner Dudley Gilbert said [Journal Record].
Cornett looks to buck history in race for Oklahoma governor: In deciding to run for governor, Mick Cornett is banking on having more success seeking higher political office than previous Oklahoma City officials — himself included. Cornett, wrapping up his fourth term as mayor, tweeted last week that he will make his gubernatorial run official by filing paperwork this week. In a post that included his wife, Terri, Cornett said, “We want to take our record of success to all of Oklahoma.” [Editorial Board / NewsOK]
Oklahoma City Council To Consider Sales Tax And Bond Measures: Three new sales tax and bond proposals could raise more than a billion dollars for public projects in Oklahoma City. Two of the proposals would replace the one-cent MAPS 3 sales tax, which will expire at the end of this year, according to a city press release. Part of the MAPS tax would be replaced by a permanent one-quarter-cent sales tax to be reinvested into the city’s General Fund, which pays for public safety, animal control, parks, transit and other basic services. The tax is expected to generate $26 million per year [KOSU].
Quote of the Day
“You can’t blame teachers like [2016 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year Shawn] Sheehan who — between he and his wife — will receive a $40,000 per year pay bump by moving to Texas. Who you can blame is the state legislature, a group of individuals who will continue to keep Oklahoma at the bottom nationally in spending per pupil and teacher salaries, while refusing to take a systemic revenue problem head on.”
-Norman Transcript Editorial Board, criticizing the Legislature for failing to provide increased funding for education in next year’s budget (Source)
Number of the Day
$2,227,640,583
Federal funds allocated to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority in 2016
Source: Oklahoma Health Care Authority
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Focus On Infants During Childbirth Leaves U.S. Moms In Danger Listen: As a neonatal intensive care nurse, Lauren Bloomstein had been taking care of other people’s babies for years. Finally, at 33, she was expecting one of her own. The prospect of becoming a mother made her giddy, her husband, Larry, recalled recently— “the happiest and most alive I’d ever seen her.” When Lauren was 13, her own mother had died of a massive heart attack. Lauren had lived with her older brother for a while, then with a neighbor in Hazlet, N.J., who was like a surrogate mom, but in important ways she’d grown up mostly alone [NPR].
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