Tulsa World
By BARBARA HOBEROCK World Capitol Bureau
Published: 9/3/201010:11 AM
Last Modified: 9/3/201012:45 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY - The fight over an education ballot measure got nasty Friday.
The One Oklahoma Coalition, which opposes State Question 744, filed a complaint with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission against Yes on 744, which supports the measure.
The One Oklahoma Coalition believes a large donation from the National Education Association to Yes on 744 violates a ban on political action committees from giving money to other political action committees.
Yes on 744 in July announced that the NEA would donate $3 million to its cause. Of that amount, $1.5 million has been contributed with the balance expected later, said Walton Robinson, a spokesman for the Yes on 744 campaign.
State Question 744 would require per pupil spending to rise to the regional average. It is one of 11 state questions on the Nov. 2 ballot.
Critics say it would require a tax increase or result in deep cuts to other agencies. The Oklahoma Policy Institute said the measure will cost $1.7 billion over three years.
The complaint asks the Oklahoma Ethics Commission to force Yes on 744 to return $1.74 million, a figure that includes $240,000 the NEA gave in March 2010, said Crystal Drwenski, a spokeswoman for the One Oklahoma Coalition... FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Fri, September 3, 2010
by Crystal Drwenski