I finally took a peek at the Stop744 website because I do like to get both sides of an argument. Their argument is that this would be another unfunded mandate that will cause the state to cut budgets and/or raise taxes to pay for. While it is true SQ744 doesn’t provide a funding source, it shouldn’t be necessary.
First of all, the money was there, so education was funded at least to a manageable level. But when lawmakers saw the extra money the lottery was bringing in (although less than projected), they decided to raid the education budget instead of budgeting education at the same level and adding the lottery money to that. When federal stimulus dollars came to the state to add to the current education budget, it was raided again.
Because of the fiscal irresponsibility of our state government, education is in trouble in Oklahoma. SQ744 does not require a funding mechanism, it only requires the funds be put back into the budget. We wouldn’t need to worry about a state question such as this if our lawmakers had been responsible with education, the lottery and stimulus monies in the first place.
Of course, putting funds back into the budget is not quite as easy as I made it sound. It is always very difficult to increase a budget once it has been cut to the bones. I have to agree that SQ744 will place a burden on the state and possibly the taxpayers of Oklahoma. Even though SQ744 doesn’t raise taxes in and of itself, money has to come from somewhere. There will be cost associated with SQ744, there has to be.
So, my challenge to the opponents of SQ744 is this: come up with something better to fund our schools; come up with something better to force Oklahoma to fix the lottery; come up with something better to force lawmakers to be responsible with our money.
The real cost if SQ744 fails is our children, our future, our teachers, and our education system.
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I am one of those teachers that SQ744 will save. I have a true calling to the field, I deep passion for my work, and 5 children at home. The drain on education’s budget has caused the climate of education to become so tentative I have switched my major to psychology. I have been working to achieve my graduate degree in Educational Technology, but find that I don’t feel a sense of job security.
Being low on the seniority ladder at my last school I was laid off (RIFed) last year. My principal wrote me an extraordinary letter of reference, I have letters from the parents I served extolling my skills in the classroom, coworkers are still trying to get the school board to get some money in there to get my job back. I am good at what I do. The reason is that I love to teach. I have the best job in the world. I just don’t trust it to be there tomorrow and I need to work, so I’m moving on. If Oklahoma wants good teachers driven to succeed- give those teachers a reason to think hard work, student success, devotion, and dependability mean something- give me a reason to think that come April I will get a new contact to sign, not a notice of non renewal due to budgetary shortfalls. I have a new job this year, I teach Kindergarten in a class of 30 students. My son goes to another school where is one of 25 Kindergarten students.
Pass the bill. I am worried that we will never recover from the reputation we have garnered for ourselves as a state that will raid education at every opportunity. We need to show other states, and teachers from those states, Oklahoma is a great place to be an educator, and a great place to educate your children.
How many times have I heard, “we need to attract quality teachers?” Lack of job security is NOT the way to go about that.