Children caught in power struggle

The Republicans say it empowers the local school boards.Democrats say it deregulates a child’s future.  Teachers say it is like a time warp.
As the end of another legislative session nears, the subject of education is on the front burner, but not necessarily the subject of funding.
Senate Bill 834 is the debate not only at the state capitol, but also in classrooms around Oklahoma.
The intent of the bill, authors say, is to empower local school districts to choose how best to educate their community’s students.
“For years, school administrators and teachers have fought the mandates coming from the state capitol and have argued that they know what is best for their students, not politicians. With this bill, we are saying we agree with them,” said House Floor Leader Rep. Tad Jones, R-Claremore and House author of the bill. “Despite the ongoing claims, this bill is not anti-public education. In fact, this legislation will help strengthen public education by moving the decision-making closer to home and trusting that parents, teachers, administrators and school boards know what educational methods are most appropriate for their local students.”
Democrats contend that the legislation could hamper Oklahoma’s ability to ensure a quality education for the state’s school children.
“For over 100 years, this legislature has worked to put more accountability in education and make our schools fair and free.  Suddenly, we’ve reversed course,” said Rep. Scott Inman, D-Del City.
The bill passed the house last week by a partisan vote of 60 to 39. It is now in the Senate for final consideration. If passed, it would go to the governor to be signed into law.
“We’re very disappointed our legislators didn’t listen to the thousands of teachers and support professionals who have talked to them for weeks about how bad this bill is. It removes so many important rights of teachers, and ignores so many classroom improvements we’ve mad over the last 20 years,” said Terrie Keck.
Keck is a first grade teacher at Marlow, and a representative of the Marlow Association of Classroom Teachers.
“Teachers have fought hard to bring legislation to raise the standards of education where it is today,” Keck said. “This would send us back in time.”
Keck has been in the teaching profession for 31 years, she said, and has seen the changes in the classroom.
“In 1985, I had 31 first graders in my classroom,” she noted. “Today, I have 20. Having 31 in a classroom has an effect on the kids.”
Democratic representative Joe Dorman, of Rush Springs, agrees that SB 834 is putting the Oklahoma education system on a slippery slope.
“My colleagues who support this bill claim that it will take some of the bureaucracy out of our education system, but I think it will do just the opposite,” Dorman stated. “There will be more bureaucracy to sort out state and federal mandates. There will be more bureaucracy to decide which mandates to abandon and which to keep. There will be more bureaucracy to clarify whether some requirements fall under the listed exceptions. There will be more bureaucracy to decide how to adjust staffing needs and salaries.
“Many of my colleagues may think they know what effect this bill will have, but I am not sure they know how dangerous this legislation is.”
Republicans contend that there will be many standard kept in place in the bill, including the minimum salary schedule; participation in the Teacher’s Retirement System; use of the state health insurance plan; background checks; teacher evaluations; teacher certifications; payroll deductions; administrator certification and school board training; and graduation requirements.
The legislation will be implemented over a seven-year period, with the first schools to implement the program to be those on the needs improvement list. Then 20 percent of the remaining schools will be chosen each year until all Oklahoma schools are included. The phased-in schedule will allow lawmakers to gauge the results and make adjustments as needed, Jones said.
“In order to be more successful in the future we need to create a climate that encourages innovation and freedom,” said House Speaker Chris Benge, R-Tulsa. “This legislation will be a game-changer for education in our state. We must do all we can to ensure our students are prepared to compete in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. We have said for years we want to see more local control of our schools, and this legislation does that very thing.”
“We’ve been told this bill is about freedom – sure it is, because it leaves our teachers free to leave and find a new job,” stated Rep. Inman.
Dorman added concerns that this kind of deregulation could lead to budget cuts that may cripple education.
“This will open the opportunity for the legislature to cut the budget for common education in the future,” said Dorman.  “Republican fiscal policies lead one to the conclusion, if there are fewer mandates, less money will be needed to provide for educational services, or lower taxes through less government.  While money is not the answer to all problems, investment is necessary to provide a proper education for our future students so they will have the opportunity to have a better life than the past generations.”
Keck agrees through a letter to the editor printed in the Marlow Review last week.
“SB 834 won’t help our students be more successful,” she wrote. “It will only allow schools to run cheaper and give the legislature another reason to not fund education properly. When the reforms are taken away and the funding is subsided, how will our public education system ever recover from the effects?”