Senator Martin Proposes Cost Sharing; Savings To Go Back Into Classroom

OKLAHOMA CITY - Senator Carol Martin is proposing legislation to share costs for education administration, resulting in more dollars for the classroom.

"It seems clear to me when only 58 percent of the FY 98 common education funding actually went for instruction, we should take a look at what we can do to get more money into our classrooms," said Martin, R-Comanche.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education recently got a chance to hear some of Senator Martin's ideas on how to do just that.

"We only have 77 counties in Oklahoma, but we have literally hundreds of school administrators. What I propose is to have a structure in which one administrator would have oversight of more than one district in a particular geographic area," said Senator Martin.

"I want to make it clear that our goal is administrative savings. We know how important schools are to the identity of communities throughout our state. That kind of mutual support between a community and its school is important, especially in rural areas," said Senator Martin.

Martin, who also serves as Senate Minority Whip said that while her plan would call for the sharing of administrators, each district would retain their own school board. She also pointed out that no school could be closed without a vote of the patrons.

"We know our teachers need more competitive pay, and our students need more computers and other materials in the classroom. We've got to look at ways to get more bang for the buck when it comes to our public schools. I believe this proposal could help us achieve that," commented Senator Martin.