It’s one of the cores of our society.
It keeps us from reverting all the way back to genetic heritage. It is a big part of the civilization process.
It lays the groundwork for the future.
And yet, here in Oklahoma, quality education often gets pushed aside for politics and dollar signs, and the youngest of our state continue to be the pawns in an ongoing political battle that seems to have no end.
It’s time for that to change. Currently, close to 687,000 students are enrolled in the state’s public K-12 schools. Of that figure, more than 151,000 students — middle, junior high and high school — are enrolled in the state’s CareerTech system.
Roughly 150,000 students are enrolled in Oklahoma’s higher education system.
Close to a million students are actively pursuing an education in this state and yet, at the same time, they are being forced to participate in a political game. In the state’s common education system, we have had public officials attempt to force one sector of religion upon the entire K-12 system.
At the college level, we have vilified students who ask questions that some politicians don’t like. Some of our elected officials have elevated one faith group over all others. In our common education system, those teachers who joined a union — a legal organization that has been part of American history for more than 150 years — were threatened and criticized.
And, under the term of former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, a teacher’s union was labeled as a terrorist organization.
All of this, along with limited resources and a highly competitive regional environment, has kept the state’s education system struggling. Yes, here in the Sooner State, a quality school needs more than a winning football team.
Still, many of our leaders seem to have forgotten that.
It’s time to take the politics out of education. It’s time to encourage the youth of this state to read and learn and explore and to never be afraid to ask questions.
It’s time for all our students to know they are encouraged and respected, and they are vital to the future of this state.
We Oklahomans need to go back to the idea that a quality education is a core of our society. We need to embrace the idea of learning and encourage those who seek to gather knowledge.
It’s time to believe in the idea of a public education for each and every Oklahoman, and it’s time to make sure that system remains strong and vital.
Otherwise, our future will be a dim one, indeed.
M. Scott Carter is an award-winning political and investigative reporter with more than 45 years of experience covering federal and state government and politics in Oklahoma. He can be reached at scott.carter@swoknews.com