The Journal Record
By Phil G. Busey Sr.
Businessman Phil Busey is a blogger and guest columnist.
See his blogs at http://journalrecord.com/blog-hub
Posted: 10:49 PM Thursday, October 14, 2010
Phil G. Busey Sr.
The controversy over State Question 744 is heating up. While funding and improving public education must be a first priority for Oklahoma, putting more money into a broken system without analysis is not the right step. Oklahoma already funds public education to the tune of $3.8 billion annually and half the state budget. Going into a fiscal crisis expecting a $1 billion shortfall next year and passing a mandate for increased educational funding upward of $1.7 billion over the next years could be a train wreck. As an education advocate, I hoped that legislators would get the message about education reform when SQ 744 was introduced.
It wasn’t near the top of their priorities. For politicians focused on re-election, supporting radical reforms is too risky. Now we face a crossroads. Funding and improving public education are good ideas. However, in this economic environment and without knowing where all public education dollars go, mandated funding is not.
The focus of Oklahoma leadership from the governor to the Legislature should be a deliberate, careful and aggressive review of the entire system. Education reform should be the first order of business. Reform of public education is gaining traction nationally. Other states are pursuing Race to the Top dollars and implementing reforms to improve systems. The governor attempted to obtain Race to the Top federal funds for Oklahoma, but fell short. That should be the focus of a beginning and continuing reforms... FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Thu, October 14, 2010
by Crystal Drwenski