State Chamber urges 'yes' vote on special-needs scholarships

Here's the text of a letter released this week by The State Chamber of Oklahoma.

From:  Matt Robison, Vice President, Small Business and Workforce Development

Date:  May 17, 2010

Re:  SUPPORT FOR HB 3393

House Bill 3393 allows students with developmental disabilities and their families freedom to direct the education services they receive. Oklahoma law currently allows school districts to place special education students in private schools, with the consent of the parents, if they are not able to provide the necessary special education services. This measure will assures the same option will be directly provided to parents.

With strong bipartisan support during this year’s session, HB 3393 provides scholarships for private special education while limiting the financial and legal liability of public schools. The bill provides needed reform for special education students without increasing state spending during the current budget crisis.

The State Chamber requests you vote "YES" on HB 3393.

What's 105 grand among friends?

Despite a $9 billion unfunded liability, CapitolBeatOK reports that the Oklahoma Teachers' Retirement System is throwing away perfectly good furniture and spending $105,000 on renovations.

Popular and right

The Oklahoma Legislature is considering providing scholarships for special-needs children. The idea is quite popular in Oklahoma. And as this video makes clear, it's the right thing to do.

Another black Democrat for school choice

In today's Wall Street Journal, Anthony Hardy Williams, an African-American Democrat running for governor of Pennsylvania, says bad public schools hurt poor and rural children the most.

School choice means supporting the full menu of educational options, including public schools, charter schools, magnet schools, private schools, and vocational schools, just to name a few. Parents should have the right to choose which school is best for their children. The money should follow the child.

Republicans side with teacher unions ...

... and sell out Chicago schoolchildren.

Educators behaving badly

As an assistant principal who has been charged with sex offenses against children continues to make headlines in Tulsa, Robert Maranto reminds us in today's Philadelphia Daily News that the rate of sexual misconduct among male schoolteachers may be considerably higher than among male priests.

$8,814 per pupil

According to a national organization much admired by Oklahoma's education establishment, Oklahoma's K-12 spending per pupil for the 2008-09 school year was $8,814. This still doesn't count all the relevant costs (OCPA has produced a financial statement showing the real cost per pupil is $10,257), but by including capital spending they've at least gotten closer to the real number. And for the teacher unions pushing State Question 744, I'm guessing $8,814 is too close for comfort.

'Kids learn better in a relaxed atmosphere'

"Allegations of 'inappropriate touching of male students' by the assistant principal at Skelly Elementary School were first reported to the principal in October," the Tulsa World reports.

A longtime teacher who worked at Disney Elementary School when Yerton was there said that she and at least 40 other teachers reported inappropriate behavior by Yerton with male students to the principal.

"When we would line up in the hall, he would always comment on what pretty eyes he has," she said referring to male students in other teachers' classes. "He would touch them and put his hands in their hair. He massaged their shoulders. He would pick them up and put them on his shoulders and slowly slide them down his body."

The teacher said Disney's principal always defended Yerton and even made him a "team leader" in charge of a group of his fellow teachers.

"I told him (the principal), 'Robert's touching these boys and massaging them.' My principal responded, 'Kids learn better in a relaxed atmosphere and Robert's just using relaxation techniques.' Another teacher went to the principal and he told her she was just overreacting."

The teacher said the principal's inaction drove her and many of her colleagues to request transfers to other schools in the district.

"It wears on your nerves. It was borderline, but he always had rooms in portables (classroom trailers) and his door was always shut. He had kids to come after class for anything he could find. Never girls, though, only boys," the teacher said. "You don't touch children. That's the bottom line. Massage techniques are not appropriate."

The teacher added, "This has bothered me for years—I wished I could have taken it farther, but we were more or less under pressure to keep our mouths shut."

Impoverished-school-district watch

Here's a photo I snapped a little after 5:00 this evening. God love 'em, I hope they were here lobbying for more money.

Special-needs scholarship bill nearing the finish line

The Oklahoman, CapitolBeatOK, and the Associated Press report on House Bill 3393, the special-needs scholarship bill. Video from yesterday's press conference is here.

Oklahoma single mom says school choice will help

"I'm living proof that being able to choose a school has helped my family so much, because it's all about independence," Emily Deal said at a press conference today. "I don't want my child to be a lifelong ward of the state."

Rep. Pittman advocates for special-needs students

State Rep. Anastasia Pittman is a co-author of House Bill 3393, a bill which creates the Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program. Under the bill, students with disabilities (such as Down syndrome or autism) who have an individualized education program (IEP) would qualify for a scholarship to attend any public or private school that meets the accreditation requirements of the State Board of Education. In a press conference this afternoon, Rep. Pittman (D-Oklahoma City) said that many Oklahoma parents "have been trampled on, their voices have been stifled, for so many years because no one seems to hear that they too deserve the best education."

Who benefits? Follow the money

In an excellent letter to the editor published yesterday in The Oklahoman, Alene Grimes of Oklahoma City points out some inconvenient truths about early-childhood education and raises the question, "Who is benefited?" That's an excellent question. The answer is here.