Gold was at $35.15; the first McDonalds was built, and Coke could now be purchased in cans. The year was 1955.
Much has changed since the days of James Dean and Rosa Parks but what hasn’t changed is how we fund construction of Oklahoma public schools. That year, Oklahoma voters chose to require school bonds to pass by a vote of at least 3/5 or 60% before they became effective.
Since then, we have seen countless schools close or consolidate - to say nothing of the increased demands on the system. Demands include everything from technology to air-conditioned buses to state-of-the-art sports complexes providing an array of opportunities beyond the big three – basketball, baseball and football.
DEMANDS
We demand AC on our school buses, safe playgrounds, working science labs and stadiums that are at least as good as our best rival. We demand our legislators, school boards, superintendents and teachers to exceed our expectations. Yet, we allow a minority of a minority to railroad any chance of improving our schools.
THE MINORITY OF VOTERS
It is next to impossible to get a majority of eligible voters to the polls for any election. School bond elections are perhaps the worst attended. As few as 5 to 10% of the electorate is expected to cast their vote as to whether or not a facility needs a new roof.
STATE FUNDING
There is little to no hope that there will be wholesale change to the funding formula or mechanisms any time soon. We will continue to hear the tired rhetoric of those calling for consolidation and constant complaints about the compensation for superintendents, as many seek for the state to cover less and less of common education expenses.
If the general public and parents alike are going to demand more from our education system and the state isn’t going to fulfill one of government’s most basic and core functions, shouldn’t we allow more latitude for our schools to function properly?
CONSOLIDATION
Any time I hear someone saying education needs more funding, someone else always brings up the need to drive efficiencies, savings, and the consolidation. While there are legitimate calls for consolidation and genuine complaints about compensation, all too often the rhetoric outpaces the facts.
WOULD YOU?
Before you join the bandwagon, linking these issues with all things concerning funding for education, I ask that you ponder a few simple questions:
• How long is too long? How long should a child be forced to ride a bus each way to school?
• How likely is it that you would move to a rural part of Oklahoma and work in education?
• Would you be willing to sell your house, buy a new house in rural Oklahoma on the guarantee of a year’s employment?
• How much would it take for you to move to a rural part of Oklahoma and work in education?
What? That doesn’t sound appealing?
SYSTEM IN CRISIS
Education in Oklahoma has been facing crisis after crisis for several years. While it appears we have turned a corner, there is much more to be accomplished. We have to stop bleeding teachers. (A recent study concluded that Oklahoma loses 11 out of 100 teachers each year.)
We have to replace a crumbling and outdated infrastructure to say nothing of catching up to the 21st century.
ISN’T IT TIME
So, I ask you, isn’t it time to let the majority speak? Why is the notion of lowering the threshold of 60% considered “untouchable”? If a 50% plus 1 vote margin sounds extreme to you, what would you say about 55%? This issue is in dire need of leadership.
How much longer will we allow the minority to control the future of public education in Oklahoma?