Restore T.R.U.S.T.

Gov. Henry Chairs Opposition Campaign to SQ 744

OKLAHOMA CITY – Gov. Brad Henry today joined the One Oklahoma Coalition, the opposition campaign to State Question 744, as the group’s honorary chairman.

“I am a strong proponent of a well-run, well-funded public education system and have led the fight to raise standards and increase classroom resources for students and teachers during my eight years as governor,” said Gov. Henry. “It is critical to continue our efforts to advance education in the years to come, but I believe SQ 744 is the wrong approach and would have devastating consequences.”

The One Oklahoma Coalition is a non-partisan group including Oklahoma Farm Bureau, The TRUST Road & Bridge Coalition, The Oklahoma City American Federation of Teachers, the AFL-CIO, International Laborers, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, Tulsa Metro Chamber, The State Chamber, Oklahoma Public Employees Association, American Farmers and Ranchers, Association of General Contractors, Oklahoma Bankers Association, the Oklahoma Hospital Association and dozens of other associations and organizations throughout the state.

One of the main tenets of the coalition’s opposition to SQ 744 stems from the fact there are no accountability measures or guarantees that any of the funds from SQ 744 must be spent in the classroom or for teacher pay.

One Oklahoma also believes public policy should be advanced in a manner that improves all areas of state government including public safety, roads and bridges, healthcare, protecting the state’s most vulnerable, and other aspects of education such as early childhood, higher education and CareerTech – all of which would suffer if SQ 744 passed.

Gov. Henry closed by saying he urged all parties when the campaign is over to come together and work toward solutions that move Oklahoma forward in a manner that unites the state not divides it.