Educators Turned Senators Say Time Running Out; School Boards Need Education Appropriation By Monday

Three former educators who are now members of the Senate Appropriations Sub-Committee on Education said Thursday that if the House doesn’t act to pass an education appropriation on Monday school boards across Oklahoma will be forced to make crucial staffing decisions without knowing how much state funding will be allocated to their districts.

The result could be a new exodus of teachers to Texas, according to the trio of lawmakers who have 96 years of experience in public education among them.

Without a common education appropriations bill, Senators Mary Easley, Daisy Lawler and Earl Garrison said hundreds – maybe thousands – of teachers won’t be offered a contract for next year.

“These are real people who need to know they are going to have a job and we’re all well aware that Texas schools are hiring. Any progress we may have made in stemming the tide of teachers leaving Oklahoma may very well be lost if we don’t have an education appropriations bill on Monday,” said Lawler, D-Comanche.

Lawler, who is vice chairwoman of the sub-committee, was a teacher in Oklahoma schools for 28 years.

“Promising to raise teachers salaries to the regional average won’t mean much to teachers without a contract,” said Easley, D-Tulsa. Easley retired after 28 years in the classroom before joining the Legislature as a member of the House of Representatives in 1997.

Garrison, who holds a doctorate degree in education from the University of Oklahoma and was an educator for 40 years, explained that state law gives school boards until Monday to offer contracts to teachers for the 2005-2006 school year.

“Time is running out. The deadline facing school districts is very real and it was the whole reason for the ‘Fund Education First’ legislation in the first place,” said Garrison, a freshman from Muskogee who was superintendent at Indian Capital Technology Center in Muskogee when the Legislature enacted the law.

Easley pointed out that the Senate passed an appropriation for public schools on March 14. After more than three weeks, the House still hasn’t taken up the measure.

“It is my understanding that Senator Crutchfield is continuing to negotiate with the House on a general appropriations bill, but it doesn’t appear that they’re going to reach an agreement on a GA bill in time for school boards to meet their deadline. The only hope for funding education before the deadline is for the House to approve the Senate measure, Senate Bill 217,” Easley said.

Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans voted unanimously for SB 217 when it passed the Senate on a 43-0 vote. It closely mirrors the Governor’s education budget and House Democrats tried to bring the measure to the floor for a vote.

“We’ve seen plenty of ‘my way or the highway’ ultimatums already this session, but that’s not what this is. This bill is ‘our way’ and by passing it before it adjourns for the week on Thursday, the House can assure school boards that K-12 education will be fully funded next year,” Garrison said.