Issue Position: Support Schools and Stabilize Budget

Issue Position

Stable school funding is critical towards inviting and keeping higher paying jobs, and grow our economy. Oklahomans are hard working enough, smart enough, and compassionate enough for leaders to honestly listen and decide upon a fair and stable way to fund our schools.

After years of protesting, calling, writing, emailing, and meeting with current leaders, our voices have been ignored. Teachers have gotten the message loud and clear that their effort is not valued by a majority of state legislators, and too many have left. The minority of leaders have not been enough to stop the demise of our public schools.
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College students realize that lowering the personal cost of university education is not a priority. The Oklahoma Promise Scholarship program is constantly under threat. Oklahoma supplemental grants for low-income college students has been reduced. This neglect in leadership and funding has lowered the number of Oklahomans with college degrees.
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Oklahoma's landmark education bill, House Bill 1017, was enacted due to the vocal demands of teachers and parents, and the strong leadership of Governor Henry Bellmon. For a few years our progress continued, until partisan politics and the recession of 2008 greatly cut back our accomplishments. Even as our state and local economy rebounded, too many of our leaders failed to protect and restore the funds needed to keep our schools viable and successful.
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With better leaders, we can build a better Oklahoma.

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