The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

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April 15, 2009

Oklahoma: House passes school deregulation bill

The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — Legislation that would allow 20 percent of public schools to operate as charter schools free of many state school mandates was approved by the Oklahoma House Wednesday in spite of opponents who said it will erode the due process rights of teachers and ultimately reduce state support of public schools.

“You’re for teachers or you’re not for teachers,” Rep. Samson Buck, D-Ardmore, said before the House voted 60-39 along party lines for the measure and sent it back to the Senate for consideration of House amendments.

The bill’s author, Republican Floor Leader Tad Jones of Claremore, said the bill, known as the School District Empowerment Program, will allow local school districts to decide which state mandates to implement and give school administrators and school boards more local control to better address community needs.

It will also provide more local control over how school districts spend scarce education resources. The bill’s requirements would be implemented over the next seven years and its impact on local schools will be closely monitored, supporters said.

“For years, school administrators and teachers have fought the mandates coming from the state Capitol and have argued that they know what is best for their students, not politicians,” Jones said. “We’re going to let them have that flexibility.”

The legislation is supported by the Oklahoma State School Boards Association, which has argued that mandates requiring class-size limits, libraries and other educational activities have burdened local schools and limited administrators as to how school funds can be used.

But a teacher’s organization, the Oklahoma Education Association, opposes it and has mounted an informational campaign in recent weeks that involved a rally by hundreds of teachers at the state Capitol and personal appeals and letters from teachers urging lawmakers to oppose the bill.

Opponents maintain the measure will roll back landmark advances in education approved by lawmakers almost 20 years ago that placed limits on class sizes, gave teachers adequate classroom preparation time, established minimum graduation requirements and provided for gifted and talented and alternative education programs.

“We’re going to throw everything out that we’ve accomplished all these years,” said Rep. Neil Brannon, D-Arkoma, a former school principal and superintendent.

“This bill goes right at the root of what public education is all about,” said Rep. Scott Inman, D-Oklahoma City.

Brannon said the bill threatens to erode the due process rights of teachers caught up in disciplinary and termination hearings.

“I saw some really terrible things happen for personal reasons. And some of them had nothing to do with the quality of our teachers,” Brannon said. “I saw a lot of unfairness. I don’t want to see us get back into those situations.”

Rep. Joe Dorman, D-Rush Springs, said the legislation could eventually be used as an excuse for reducing state appropriations to public schools because lawmakers will be requiring less of them.

“We’re going to an extreme here,” Dorman said.

Supporters said the measure could help school districts address low test scores.

“Oklahoma test scores are not where they need to be,” said Rep. Ann Coody, R-Lawton, a lifelong educator. “Can we keep doing things the same way and expect a different result? Of course not.”

“Our students have not been improving. Something isn’t working. It’s the system,” said Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, a former teacher.

Coody also said most districts will continue to follow many of the 27 school mandates the bill addresses and that other mandates, including teacher evaluations, participation in the teacher’s retirement system and graduation requirements, will remain in force.

“This is a bill about facilitating student success,” she said.

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