State of Oklahoma Archives: on Education
Connie Johnson:
Support public education, not vouchers
- Restore funding needed to meet Oklahoma's goals for children, including ending our teacher exodus by raising educational salaries.
- Restore vital programs that have been cut from Oklahoma schools, including advanced placement courses,
art, music, sports and extracurricular activities.
- Recognize that public education is the cornerstone of a successful society, and undo the detriment that charter schools and school vouchers are making on public education.
Source: 2018 Oklahoma Senatorial website ConnieForGovernor.com
Oct 15, 2017
Gary Richardson:
A child's zip code shouldn't determine quality of education
You don't have to ask around far to learn that our schools are in crisis mode. Oklahoma needs leadership that will not only make education a priority, but improve funding to our classrooms so that teachers and ultimately, our children and grandchildren
benefit from a quality education.- First, we must find a way to consolidate the over 500 school administrations across the state while ensuring every school, both rural and urban, stays open.
- Second, we need to call for an audit of both the
public and higher education institutions to ensure that money that could be going toward teacher salaries and classroom education isn't being wasted through bloated administrative costs.
- Finally, we must find a way to increase the education options
for Oklahoma parents. A child's zip code shouldn't be the determination of the quality of education they will receive. Only then will we truly improve our education system in Oklahoma and make Oklahoma a better place to live!
Source: 2018 Oklahoma governor campaign website GaryRichardson.org
May 2, 2017
Mike Workman:
Support all public education; fight all vouchers
EDUCATION: Support all levels of public education. Improve pre-K standards and early-childhood programs. Lessen unfunded mandates for K-12.
Fight all efforts to divert public funds into voucher programs. Allow negotiation of post-secondary student loan debt. Support graduate and research programs. Increase tax incentives and programs for teachers in K-12 public schools.
Source: 2016 OK Senate campaign website facebook/Workman-4-Oklahoma
Aug 8, 2016
James Inhofe:
Oppose nationwide Common Core standards
Question topic: The federal government should establish nationwide standards (such as Common Core) for high-school graduation.
Inhofe: Strongly Disagree
Source: Faith2Action iVoterGuide on 2014 Oklahoma Senate race
Sep 30, 2014
Joe Dorman:
I will continue to be a champion for public education
I'll invest in education. Our teachers, our students, our state deserve better. We have to provide adequate resources to eliminate overcrowded classrooms. I will continue to be a champion for public education--working across the aisle to raise salaries
for our teachers, because the job of educating Oklahoma kids shouldn't require financial sacrifice at home.Together we will put our schools on the path towards a 21st century classroom and ensure that Oklahoma schools are the best in the nation.
Source: 2014 Oklahoma Gubernatorial campaign website JoeDorman.com
Jul 2, 2014
Matt Silverstein:
Sufficiently fund public education, with national standards
We will never solve our nation's problems if we continue to fail our children in the classroom. Education is largely the responsibility of the state and Matt will support governance structures which hold leaders responsible, while giving them the
tools to effectuate change. We should always have accountability to the local school districts and taxpayers.
Matt supports sufficiently funding education and setting clearly-articulated national standards and expectations for core subject areas, while allowing states and local districts to determine how best to make sure that all students are reaching those
standards. Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics are critical to building a stronger, more qualified workforce and a stronger economy.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MattForOklahoma.com, "Issues"
Nov 11, 2013
Mary Fallin:
Build schools with tornado safe rooms
Q: In the recent tornadoes, a lot of schools did not have a safe place where the children could go. Are you going to try to rethink how you build schools when you start to put these schools back?FALLIN: Absolutely. And let me just say that we do have
100 schools in Oklahoma that do have safe rooms; and schools that have been [damaged] in the past, many of them have rebuilt rooms as some sort as a safe room in their school and we're certainly going to encourage that. But I do think it's important to
have a very vigorous discussion as to what can we do within budgetary means to be able to provide a safe place. Certainly every school has drills. They have a plan. And the teachers did follow those different plans. Any death is very unfortunate, but
it's truly incredible that we had only 24 deaths at this site because if you look at all the debris field and how wide it is, I don't know how anybody survived this tornado. But people took the precautions they were supposed to take.
Source: Face the Nation 2013 on 2014 Oklahoma gubernatorial race
May 26, 2013
Jim Bridenstine:
No federal standards; local control & spending
Q: Do you support requiring states to implement education reforms to be eligible for federal grants?A: No. I support funding of education at the local level. The federal government should not be in the business of funding education or setting
standards for the states to meet. Each state should oversee its own educational institutions. American citizens should not send money to Washington, DC to have it redistributed as the federal Department of Education deems appropriate.
Source: Oklahoma Congressional 2012 Political Courage Test
Oct 30, 2012
Brad Henry:
Don't siphon resources from our classrooms
We recognized the hard work of our teachers by increasing their pay and, for the first time in history, covering the full cost of teachers' health insurance. This helps Oklahoma attract and retain the quality teachers our students deserve, and it tells
our teachers that we value their commitment.Our progress in schools has been tremendous. I will not tolerate any effort to cut teacher pay or siphon resources from our classrooms, our students, or our future.
Source: Oklahoma 2010 State of the State Address
Feb 1, 2010
Andrew Rice:
Shift emphasis away from punishing underperforming school
Rice will work to improve the Elementary & Secondary Education Act to shift its emphasis away from punishment of underperforming school districts to a system that provides effective support to schools that need help. The current system shifts public
dollars to the private sector through supplemental education services and private, for-profit takeovers of low performance schools. Rather than undermine the existing public school structure, he will work instead to reduce class sizes & other reforms.
Source: 2008 Senate campaign website andrewforoklahoma.com “Details”
Jul 11, 2008
Joe Dorman:
Let students express religious viewpoints in schools
Dorman voted YEA on HB2633, Religious Expression in Schools; Bill Passed Concurrence Vote in House (70-28).- Prohibits school districts from discriminating against a student who expresses a religious viewpoint on an otherwise permissible
subject.
- Requires school districts to establish a limited public forum that does not discriminate against the voluntary expression of a religious viewpoint by a student at all school events at which students will speak.
- Requires the school district
to state that the speech of students in the public forum does not reflect the endorsement, sponsorship, position or expression of the district.
- Authorizes students to express religious beliefs in class assignments without discrimination and requires
assignments to be judged by ordinary academic standards.
- Authorizes students to organize religious groups to the same extent that students are permitted to organize other extracurricular groups, including access to school facilities.
Source: Vote Smart's Synopsis of Oklahoma Legislative voting records
May 12, 2008
Scott Inman:
Let students express religious viewpoints in schools
Inman voted YEA on HB2633, Religious Expression in Schools; Bill Passed Concurrence Vote in House (70-28).- Prohibits school districts from discriminating against a student who expresses a religious viewpoint on an otherwise permissible
subject.
- Requires school districts to establish a limited public forum that does not discriminate against the voluntary expression of a religious viewpoint by a student at all school events at which students will speak.
- Requires the school district
to state that the speech of students in the public forum does not reflect the endorsement, sponsorship, position or expression of the district.
- Authorizes students to express religious beliefs in class assignments without discrimination and requires
assignments to be judged by ordinary academic standards.
- Authorizes students to organize religious groups to the same extent that students are permitted to organize other extracurricular groups, including access to school facilities.
Source: Vote Smart's Synopsis of Oklahoma Legislative voting records
May 12, 2008
Frank Keating:
More funding for schools and colleges
Funding for common education, higher education and career education is at an all time high. We have funded more chairs in the higher education system than ever before, and this budget proposes to fund more,
particularly in the technology areas, science and mathematics, in those areas where we are starved for available workers in Oklahoma to fill available jobs.
Source: 2001 State of the State address to Oklahoma legislature
Feb 5, 2001
Frank Keating:
Supported largest teacher pay raise in state history
Last year, together, we passed the largest pay raise in state history for teachers. No great surprise, our ACT scores have now defeated every state in the south. We have defeated Texas in something other than football for a change.
Our ACT scores now beat Georgia, the Carolinas, Florida, Texas, and Tennessee, all of the states in the south. We have the number one ACT high school in the United States at the Oklahoma School of Science and Math, of which we are very, very proud.
Source: 2001 State of the State address to Oklahoma legislature
Feb 5, 2001
Frank Keating:
$80M in block grants to schools
Today I propose a revolutionary system of block grants for schools that will encourage and reward success. These block grants [total] $80 million in three different areas:- “Matching grants” to schools that cut administrative overhead and devote
more dollars to spending in the classroom.
- “Reward grants” to recognize and support schools where learning is the focus.
- “Improvement grants,” to help districts achieve better performance and accountability to move toward the model, what I
describe as a 21st Century School Model.
Now, what will qualify for these grants? - Are you offering and are you requiring that each student take six academic hours a day?
- Do you offer and do you require four years each of math, science,
English, and social studies for every student?
- Have you ended social promotion?
- Is more money flowing to the classroom and less money going to administrative overhead?
- And most importantly of all, are your students learning?
Source: 2001 State of the State address to Oklahoma legislature
Feb 5, 2001
Winona LaDuke:
Supports increased funding for tribal colleges
“Tribal colleges, too, we need to see a amjor increase in funding for these institutions. One year’s funding from some weapon system or the drug war would fund all the tribal colleges for years.”
Source: Interview in Oklahoma Indian Times
Jun 1, 2000
Page last updated: Feb 13, 2018