As the 2009 legislative session comes to a close, we need to continue to be vigilant about so-called "education reform" getting placed into bills at the last minute. First, a victory-- House Bill 1935 threatened to silence the teacher voice by removing teachers and retired teachers from the Teacher Retirement System Board.
A big thank you goes out to all the Democratic Senators and Republican Senators Harry Coates, Patrick Anderson and Jonathan Nichols for voting no and stopping the passage of HB 1935 on the Senate floor.
Veto SB 394 Notification bill still awaits action by the Governor
We also need to contact Governor Henry and ask him to veto Senate Bill 394. It passed out of the House last week and is still awaiting action from the Governor. SB 394 will:
*Move the notification date for teacher contract renewals from April 10th to the first Monday in June.
*Teachers may not find out if they are employed or not by the district until it is too late to reasonably find other employment.
It looks like the legislative session will end this Friday, a week early, based on an agreement by all involved.
Showing posts with label Governor Henry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Governor Henry. Show all posts
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Governor Henry on SB 834
Gov. Henry vetoes legislation weakening state school standards
May 08, 2009
(Oklahoma City) Saying it would turn back the clock on decades of education reforms, Gov. Brad Henry today vetoed Senate Bill 834, legislation that would have allowed local school administrators to ignore more rigorous state standards and create their own academic benchmarks and rules.
Supporters of the measure claimed SB 834 would increase local control and give districts more flexibility, but in his veto message, the governor said the tradeoff would be weaker standards across the board.
“While local control is an important component of a successful public education system, it is also critical to have rigorous state standards in place to produce the highest quality graduates and ensure achievement and accountability throughout the system. Recognizing the importance of such uniform standards, public and private sector leaders have advocated and implemented numerous reforms in recent years to raise the academic bar for all students and schools,” said the governor.
“Senate Bill 834 would essentially turn back the clock on much of that important progress and weaken landmark reforms by allowing school administrators to create their own rules and ignore more rigorous state standards, including, but not limited to, the smaller class size mandates championed by former Gov. Henry Bellmon and Oklahoma voters in the historic passage of House Bill 1017 in 1990. SB 834 would also endanger such worthy programs as full-day kindergarten and alternative education in addition to making optional such critical personnel as school librarians and counselors.”
Gov. Henry also noted that SB 834 was not in the best interest of Oklahoma teachers because it weakened or eliminated rights and benefits provided to them, including due process rights guaranteed under the constitution.
“These provisions would also undermine ongoing efforts to attract and retain the best and brightest teachers in Oklahoma, something that is critically important, particularly for a state that is routinely recognized for having some of the best educators in the nation,” said the governor.
“At a time when we are working to send the signal that Oklahoma is serious about improving its education system and producing high-quality graduates who can compete in the 21st century global economy, it would be a disastrous step backward to approve legislation that weakens state standards, abolishes historic reforms and reduces rights and benefits provided to teachers.”
Thank Governor Henry
May 08, 2009
(Oklahoma City) Saying it would turn back the clock on decades of education reforms, Gov. Brad Henry today vetoed Senate Bill 834, legislation that would have allowed local school administrators to ignore more rigorous state standards and create their own academic benchmarks and rules.
Supporters of the measure claimed SB 834 would increase local control and give districts more flexibility, but in his veto message, the governor said the tradeoff would be weaker standards across the board.
“While local control is an important component of a successful public education system, it is also critical to have rigorous state standards in place to produce the highest quality graduates and ensure achievement and accountability throughout the system. Recognizing the importance of such uniform standards, public and private sector leaders have advocated and implemented numerous reforms in recent years to raise the academic bar for all students and schools,” said the governor.
“Senate Bill 834 would essentially turn back the clock on much of that important progress and weaken landmark reforms by allowing school administrators to create their own rules and ignore more rigorous state standards, including, but not limited to, the smaller class size mandates championed by former Gov. Henry Bellmon and Oklahoma voters in the historic passage of House Bill 1017 in 1990. SB 834 would also endanger such worthy programs as full-day kindergarten and alternative education in addition to making optional such critical personnel as school librarians and counselors.”
Gov. Henry also noted that SB 834 was not in the best interest of Oklahoma teachers because it weakened or eliminated rights and benefits provided to them, including due process rights guaranteed under the constitution.
“These provisions would also undermine ongoing efforts to attract and retain the best and brightest teachers in Oklahoma, something that is critically important, particularly for a state that is routinely recognized for having some of the best educators in the nation,” said the governor.
“At a time when we are working to send the signal that Oklahoma is serious about improving its education system and producing high-quality graduates who can compete in the 21st century global economy, it would be a disastrous step backward to approve legislation that weakens state standards, abolishes historic reforms and reduces rights and benefits provided to teachers.”
Thank Governor Henry
Friday, May 08, 2009
Governor Henry Vetoes SB 834
Governor Affirms Commitment to Education with Veto
Governor Brad Henry’s veto of Senate Bill 834 today builds on his consistent support and dedication to creating great public schools in Oklahoma.
Senate Bill 834, commonly referred to as the school deregulation bill, proposed to deregulate public schools while providing no oversight or accountability for school administrators or school boards. Mandates like class size limits, adequate libraries, salaries above the state minimum, alternative education programs and school counselors could have been ignored under SB 834.
“The Governor recognized that it is the classroom teacher that has the most impact on student learning. After all, if you destroy the soul of teachers, it is the kids who are impacted,” said Roy Bishop, Oklahoma Education Association President.
The bill has also drawn much criticism from a concerned public because it could have eliminated the right of the public to have input on district policies. “It would be counterproductive to exclude parents, students and teachers from this process. Transferring authority to any one party is not the way to make sustainable education reforms,” said Bishop.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Here are some excerpts from from an Associated Press Story as we wonder why the State Chamber wants to roll back the gains they supported as a result of HB 1017. And don't forget to email the Governor and ask him to veto SB 834.
However, Oklahoma Education Association President Roy Bishop said the bill is "political gimmickry" that will allow school districts to overturn 20 years of progress in education. He was referring to House Bill 1017, landmark legislation of 1990 that set state standards for schools and increased funding to school districts.
The GOP-backed education plan would do away with a process whereby school boards must negotiate with unions that win a majority of teachers wanting representation. Bishop said it would eliminate current due process protections for teachers.
"We support investments in real school improvements and oppose this reckless political gimmickry," he said.
Bishop said the legislation does nothing to improve school funding. "We are so underfunded it is a national joke and this is what they come up with," he said.
Supporters said the bill keeps the minimum salary requirement for teachers, but Bishop argued that more than 74 percent of teachers make above the minimum.
However, Oklahoma Education Association President Roy Bishop said the bill is "political gimmickry" that will allow school districts to overturn 20 years of progress in education. He was referring to House Bill 1017, landmark legislation of 1990 that set state standards for schools and increased funding to school districts.
The GOP-backed education plan would do away with a process whereby school boards must negotiate with unions that win a majority of teachers wanting representation. Bishop said it would eliminate current due process protections for teachers.
"We support investments in real school improvements and oppose this reckless political gimmickry," he said.
Bishop said the legislation does nothing to improve school funding. "We are so underfunded it is a national joke and this is what they come up with," he said.
Supporters said the bill keeps the minimum salary requirement for teachers, but Bishop argued that more than 74 percent of teachers make above the minimum.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
SB 834:On the Governor's Desk
SB 834 Goes to the Governor with Saturday Deadline
After SB 834 passed the Senate last Wednesday, the bill was held for reconsideration by Sen. Ford. The senators voted yesterday not to reconsider the bill, and 834 will go to the Governor today.
The Governor will have 5 days to veto or sign SB 834. The deadline will be this Saturday, May 9th.
Now is our final chance to act! We need as many calls and emails to the Governor as possible this week. Click here to compose and send an email to the governor.
After SB 834 passed the Senate last Wednesday, the bill was held for reconsideration by Sen. Ford. The senators voted yesterday not to reconsider the bill, and 834 will go to the Governor today.
The Governor will have 5 days to veto or sign SB 834. The deadline will be this Saturday, May 9th.
Now is our final chance to act! We need as many calls and emails to the Governor as possible this week. Click here to compose and send an email to the governor.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Tulsa Rally Against SB 834-Ask the Governor for a Veto
Four hundred people, including teachers from several districts, attended the anti- SB 834 rally held in Tulsa on Thursday night. The rally got tremendous press coverage, including one station's helicopter, as a number of elected representatives spoke before the crowd. You can go to Channel Six and see a good video about the event.
Greer Nichols, Broken Arrow President, got the crowd fired up and chants of veto could be heard throughout the rally. Greer turned it over to the speakers that included Representatives Jeannie McDaniel, Eric Proctor and Lucky Lamons, and Senator Kenneth Corn who is running for Lt. Governor. Also speaking were TCTA President Denzel Kesterson and me.
You can contact Governor Henry and ask him to veto the bill by going here.
Greer Nichols, Broken Arrow President, got the crowd fired up and chants of veto could be heard throughout the rally. Greer turned it over to the speakers that included Representatives Jeannie McDaniel, Eric Proctor and Lucky Lamons, and Senator Kenneth Corn who is running for Lt. Governor. Also speaking were TCTA President Denzel Kesterson and me.
You can contact Governor Henry and ask him to veto the bill by going here.
Friday, January 09, 2009
No Legal Challenges Against HOPE
Friday, December 26, 2008
Oklahoma's Budget Shortfall
Arnold Hamilton of the Oklahoma Observer addresses the state's budget crisis and gives a differing opinion than the state's largest newspaper:
Budget Blues
The numbers are worse than we thought: State lawmakers will have $309.6 million less to spend next year than they had last spring.
Government-haters will no doubt be cheering. But those who care about improving roads and education or caring for the mentally ill and poor – just to cite a few key areas – will be disheartened.
Budget Blues
The numbers are worse than we thought: State lawmakers will have $309.6 million less to spend next year than they had last spring.
Government-haters will no doubt be cheering. But those who care about improving roads and education or caring for the mentally ill and poor – just to cite a few key areas – will be disheartened.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Education Opinions
From the Tulsa World:
Henry axes ill-conceived bill
Despite its self-important title, "Religious Viewpoint Antidiscrimination Act," House Bill 2633 was bad legislation.
The bill mandated that students in public schools "may express their beliefs about religion in homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free from discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions." Further, it forbade school districts to "discriminate" against a student "based on a religious viewpoint expressed by the student on an otherwise permissible subject."
The measure's language was so unwieldy and murky that it is difficult to determine what it would require. It may well have required that teachers accept simplistic religious explanations — "God's will" or "God's miracle" — on homework or class work dealing with natural phenomena or historical events. HB 2633's passage would almost guarantee lawsuits to establish exactly what it did require.
Worse, HB 2633 was a solution in search of a problem. It was unnecessary. There already were avenues, such as voluntary, nondisruptive prayer, for students to express their religious beliefs in school.
The measure, however, passed the state Senate unanimously and the House by a 70-28 margin. That's what happens in our era of gotcha governance: Lawmakers are stampeded into passing bad laws when saying "no" might be construed as voting against God.
Last week, after the Legislature adjourned and its members returned home to launch their re-election campaigns, Gov. Brad Henry vetoed HB 2633, in part because it might produce unforeseen or unintended consequences.
The governor's action was a good one; his reasoning was sound. Still, the veto required courage, especially if he intends to seek public office in the future. Henry is to be commended for taking a stand on this issue and saving the state from an ill-conceived and embarrassing law.
Henry axes ill-conceived bill
Despite its self-important title, "Religious Viewpoint Antidiscrimination Act," House Bill 2633 was bad legislation.
The bill mandated that students in public schools "may express their beliefs about religion in homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free from discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions." Further, it forbade school districts to "discriminate" against a student "based on a religious viewpoint expressed by the student on an otherwise permissible subject."
The measure's language was so unwieldy and murky that it is difficult to determine what it would require. It may well have required that teachers accept simplistic religious explanations — "God's will" or "God's miracle" — on homework or class work dealing with natural phenomena or historical events. HB 2633's passage would almost guarantee lawsuits to establish exactly what it did require.
Worse, HB 2633 was a solution in search of a problem. It was unnecessary. There already were avenues, such as voluntary, nondisruptive prayer, for students to express their religious beliefs in school.
The measure, however, passed the state Senate unanimously and the House by a 70-28 margin. That's what happens in our era of gotcha governance: Lawmakers are stampeded into passing bad laws when saying "no" might be construed as voting against God.
Last week, after the Legislature adjourned and its members returned home to launch their re-election campaigns, Gov. Brad Henry vetoed HB 2633, in part because it might produce unforeseen or unintended consequences.
The governor's action was a good one; his reasoning was sound. Still, the veto required courage, especially if he intends to seek public office in the future. Henry is to be commended for taking a stand on this issue and saving the state from an ill-conceived and embarrassing law.
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