Authors issue statement on Senate passage of HB 3399

Sen. Josh Brecheen, Sen. Anthony Sykes and Rep. Jason Nelson issued the following statements after Tuesday’s Senate vote on HB 3399. The measure, which passed on a vote of 37 to 10, calls for the adoption of new English and math standards created by Oklahomans and prevents direct or indirect federal control over those standards and assessments.

“Governor Fallin and Superintendent Barresi demonstrate courage in their insistence on higher standards and with this bill we are ensuring that spirit is preserved. House Bill 3399 will usher in educational standards that are not aligned with the Core. These standards will be Oklahoma led, Oklahoma controlled—and I believe they will be truly exceptional, not common.” Sen. Josh Brecheen, R Coalgate

“I think we took a giant leap forward today to restore our children’s education back into Oklahomans’ hands. We’ve ceded our authority to a national consortium and I think that Oklahomans make the best decisions for our children. I’m glad we took that step today.” Sen. Anthony Sykes, R-Moore

“The strong vote in the House, and now in the Senate, demonstrates what the public wants is control over their own standards, right here. They want to protect the integrity of our system but they also want to have high standards, and by including Higher Education, CareerTech and the Department of Education in the developing of the bill, I think we’ve accomplished that. I’m grateful to the Senate authors for their hard work.” Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City

HB 3399 now returns to the House of Representatives for further consideration.