At least it's something

Superintendent Sandy Garrett informs us that "approximately 40,000 Oklahoma students transfer to the school of their choice annually." Well, maybe not their first choice. Nevertheless, public-school choice is better than no choice at all, and "parents wanting to transfer their children in or out of an Oklahoma school district for the upcoming school year have until Wednesday, April 1, to make their request."

A voucher milestone

"Through his press secretary Robert Gibbs, President Obama has declared that he will reverse congressional Democrats' phase-out of the DC Opportunity Scholarships program," Andrew Coulson writes in a new blog post.

The old guard of the Democratic party — typified by congressional leaders — still imagines that school choice is bad for them. They still think that they can roll back time to a period when the public school monopoly was inviolate. That time has passed. Real educational freedom is spreading — slowly — around the country. That is not going to stop.

The last Democrats to be found jamming their fingers into the dike, hoping to stop the flight to educational freedom, will find their political careers swept away when that dike finally crumbles.

Where are the vaunted government watchdogs?

My friend Andrew Coulson wants to know.

'Prisons rather than places to learn'

Mitch Duprez recounts some experiences as a public school teacher in south Oklahoma City and concludes, "I must honestly say, after that experience I understand why some people would not send their child there. I could not see myself sending my child to the school where I taught."

Mr. Duprez says "schools can resemble prisons rather than places to learn."

It took me a while to adjust to the metal detectors, the bag searches, the students sitting on their hands lining the hallway while the teachers walk up and down the corridors like prison guards. Then the bell rings and all Hell breaks loose. ... Another major issue in my school was the gang problem. I'm talking about 13 and 14 year old kids in gangs. ... Keeping order in the classroom took up most of my time, leaving little time for actual teaching. ...

So, be careful when deciding whether or not you would send your child to public school.

Of course, if you can't afford private school tuition you may not have much of a choice.

Perhaps the education lottery proceeds can help fund the audits

According to a state House press release, "lawmakers voted today to subject Oklahoma schools to random audits to discourage embezzlers."

This is probably a good idea, given that "embezzling money to fuel a gambling habit is becoming one of the most typical crimes prosecutors say they deal with in Oklahoma courts," as the Tulsa World recently reported.

To [Muskogee County District Attorney Larry] Moore and many others, it seems an increasing number of residents, often with otherwise clean records, are resorting to embezzlement, theft or fraud to supply a gambling habit since Oklahomans approved state questions in 2004 that allowed the state to enter into compact agreements with the tribes as well as a statewide lottery.

D.C. schools have 'more money than God,' yet outcomes 'disastrous'

Washington Post staff writers Bill Turque and Maria Glod report:

History has shown that money alone does not drive school improvement, [Education Secretary Arne] Duncan said, pointing to the District of Columbia, where public school students consistently score near the bottom on national reading and math tests even though the school system spends more per pupil than its suburban counterparts do.

"D.C. has had more money than God for a long time, but the outcomes are still disastrous," Duncan said in an interview with Washington Post editors and reporters.

School choice can ease overcrowding

Jacqueline Sit of NEWS 9 reports that parents in Moore had to camp out for two nights in an attempt to ensure their children got a spot in kindergarten. "Enrollment for the all-day kindergarten starts Monday morning," she reports, "and parents are willing to do whatever it takes to score one of the 20 openings at Broadmoore Elementary School."

"I'd like the full day, but there's half day alternative. And we'd still have to pay out of pocket for daycare outside of the half day kindergarten. Ideally, I'm trying to get the full day. That's why I'm here on a Saturday night," parent Matthew Wells said.

Here's one solution. The Alliance for School Choice has pointed out that "the physical constraints of many public schools and the fiscal constraints of many state and local governments have forced advocates for increased public investment in early education to compromise with their legislative opponents in nearly every state by supporting the use of public funds for these young children to attend private schools." Indeed, "in the last two years, many of the states embracing greater public support for early education have chosen to allow for parental choice through vouchers or tax credits."

The time has come for that sort of compromise here in Oklahoma. Oklahoma parents who send their kindergartners to a private school should receive a tax credit for tuition expenses. Moreover, Oklahoma should enact a tax credit for donations to school tuition organizations which enable low-income children to attend kindergarten at private schools.

Quote of the day

"We've seen how great deregulating is in the economic situation. It has a nice name to it but that doesn't mean that it's a good thing."

-- Oklahoma Education Association advocacy specialist Linda Hendrix, voicing opposition to a school district deregulation bill in Oklahoma

Quote of the day

"Research shows that 10 percent or fewer teachers at these [inner-city] schools actually want to be there."

-- State Rep. Rebecca Hamilton (D-Oklahoma City), in a press release today

The First Parent ...

... has a big decision to make.

POTUS does the right thing

"The most honest, decent, and thoughtful Democratic president of modern times, Jed Bartlet, was surprised to find himself supporting vouchers on an episode of NBC's 'The West Wing,'" David Boaz reminds us today. Click here for a terrific video clip.

‘Dropout discrepancies’

The Tulsa World reports:

More than 120 students dropped out of Tulsa County middle schools during the 2006-07 school year, state data show. Yet each middle school recorded a 0 percent dropout rate in Oklahoma Department of Education records.

Thank you sir may I have another!

If 11 grand per student just isn't enough, you can always donate more money to the government.