Jun 13, 2013
- About the porn stars who want to donate sex acts to tornado victims…
- Our license plates are infringing on our freedomJun 12, 2013
- KFOR found the world’s coolest post-tornado vigilante…Jun 11, 2013
- FBI investigating ex-Oklahoman reporter Zeke Campfield on allegations he solicited a 16-year-old prostitute…Jun 6, 2013
- Finally, Mike Morgan breaks his silence on Friday’s storm coverage…Jun 6, 2013
- Wal-Mart has made a dramatic comeback to OKC Craigslist Missed ConnectionsJun 4, 2013
- Someone from The Onion is writing editorials for the Oklahoman…Jun 3, 2013
- Based on these Facebook comments, The Derplahomans were not happy that Obama visited OklahomaMay 28, 2013
- Top 20 Photographs in TLO History (5-1)May 28, 2013
Edmond Public Schools are the worst in the state!
Jan 22
2013
OK, that headline is a lie, but according to NewsOK.com, this is a real possibility in the future. It’s been a long-held belief in OKC that if you can’t afford to send your kids to private school, putting them in Edmond Public Schools is the next best thing. Hell, living in Edmond is like sending your kid to private school, but you get a house out of the deal! But it turns out Edmond is going to be begging for some of our tax dollars. Better move to Deer Creek while you still can, Edmonites.
From NewsOK.com:
Continued enrollment growth, the opening of a new elementary campus and state and federal funding cuts have school officials taking a hard look at budgets for the next two fiscal years.
“We need assistance from the state,” said David Goin, school superintendent. “That’s the long and short of it.”
“With 95 percent of our general fund tied up in salaries, there isn’t a lot left over to go towards other areas,” Smith said. “If the state does not increase funding for common education we could be forced to increase class size, reduce positions and eliminate programs.”
The district has one early childhood center, 15 elementary schools, five middle schools, three high schools and a total of 22,500 students. Over the last four years the district has grown by 2,200.
Oklahoma voters in November passed two state questions that will reduce the amount of funding the district will get from district taxpayers.
State Question 766 abolished property taxes on intangible personal property statewide. State Question 758 lowered the cap of property valuation increases from 5 percent per year to 3 percent.
“We are going to lose some local funding due to property tax measures that were passed by voters,” Smith said.
School officials estimated in this year’s budget summary that the passage of State Question 766 could cause an immediate loss of $50 million in tax revenue to schools, career technology centers and county government.
Voters approved the state questions out of legitimate economic concerns, State Sen. Clark Jolley said.
“The alternative was to have an incredibly large tax increase,” Jolley said.
Hey Republicans, remember those boxes on the back of the ballot when you were voting for Mitt Romney? It turns out they DO mean something. Let’s do some math real quick: The passage of SQ766 might cause a $50 million loss in money for our schools. I’m going to round-up and say there are 4 million people in Oklahoma. That works out to $12.50 per person, and even that’s kind of misleading, because SQ766 primarily lowered taxes for corporations. So, for around $1 a month per person, our schools (which are already underfunded) are going to be even more underfunded, which probably means they will hire an “illegal” to be the school’s “armed guard.”
But don’t worry, State Sen. Clark Jolley (R) is a friend of education and he supports education funding…kind of:
“The schools are asking for more than the state has,” Jolley said. “I support educational funding because I think these are legitimate concerns, but we have to face the reality that there are others that are calling for our dollars. Education is a priority but it’s just not possible to give them additional funding and the money lost from the passage of the state questions.”
Sen. Jolley supports educational funding, but isn’t going to do anything about it. Paying taxes is stupid, and un-American, and Edmond, the state’s model of Republican beliefs, would never accept money from the socialist Obama.
Continued from NewsOK.com:
The district is also facing a reduction in federal funding.
“The federal stimulus that was given to us in 2009 ended this year,” Smith said, referring to the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act that congress and President Barack Obama issued in 2009, which included money for education.
The district stopped receiving federal funding from the stimulus this month.
Well shit…
OK, the point of all of this is to point out that our legislature’s only goal is to lower our taxes until the only people the state can afford to pay is our legislators, and to provide some solutions.
1. Have a bake sale!
People of Edmond, have you seen Breaking Bad? Cook some meth and sell it to the people of Deer Creek.
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2. Have prisoners teach our children.
Did you know it costs 4x more to incarcerate a prisoner than it does to educate a child? That is from Fox News, so it has to be true! We have the prisoners, we need teachers that we don’t have to pay, am I the only person seeing how to solve both these problems in one stroke? But I suppose this would be considered “cruel and unusual punishment.”
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3. Home schooling
Someone has to teach your stupid damn kids, might as well be you! Plus, God is allowed in the classroom.
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4. Become Democrats
Democrats love “wasteful spending” on things like education.
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You can follow Spencer on Twitter: @SpencerLenox
Edmonders – Nows your chance to lead Oklahoma in rebooting the classroom. Or you can bus in some poor ethnic kids to raise your test scores, your call.
So…where the hell is all that lottery money going that’s supposed to be for state education?
It has long been established that the lottery isn’t providing nearly as much money for education that was originally promised.
my thoughts EXACTLY!!!!! Funny how we’ve never seen the media ask such a difficult question but they sure told us that “hey if we get the lottery, our schools will benefit!”
Lies, all lies.
In the lesson plan located at the following URL, take the words “kids” and “students” and replace with “legislators”. Copy and paste the result in an email and send a copy to Clark Jolley and your very own state legislator.
I’d say send a copy to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction as well, but I’m not sure that she would be able to understand what is implied in the lesson.
http://suite101.com/article/lesson-plan-taking-responsibility-a35594
Gary
As a parent I’m concerned over school funding. As a citizen the Oklahoma School system is troubling. If you review the pay disparity between teachers and administrators (principles/superindendants) Oklahoma has one of the most top heavy systems in the nation. Don’t take my word for it, check out the salaries of principles/superindentants and you will see why the jobs are so coveted. I live in Mustang ( the suburbs seem to be doing well, i.e. Yukon, Mustang, Moore, etc) but I wonder where the inner city schools would be if it weren’t for the Maps for schools.
If Norman were in Oklahoma, it would have the best schools in the state.
We need to become a liberal utopia like California.
Why turn back? We are well on our way to becoming a conservative utopia like Somalia.
Anyone who did any research into those state questions knew this would be a consequence of passing them, but most people didn’t and just saw “lower taxes” so they voted yes.
The $ that go to education are funded into a pot schools can not tell you nor can anyone else how much they get from the lottery tax. Reason is they are not told them selves, to make it worse for every $ the state gets in lottery revenue earmarked for education, the state funds one less $ in it’s place so nothing is growing out of this, it’s a switch for bucks. Want a lottery great but don’t get one for education.
Did you know that schools haven’t seen an increase in funding to purchase fuel since 1989?? Yet they still run buses guess where that shortage comes from? Yup operational budgets. Education funding in this and many states is a joke, I’m glad we have great teachers by and large who take up this cause and do what they do daily.
Edmond has a high average income, that’s why they’ve had such good schools over the years. If they are now voting on local tax changes that reduce the schools income, then that is their problem as a township.
If you feel over taxed and decide your children’s education isn’t important enough to you, then you’re responsible for the damage you caused to them.
Why should the state foot the bill to pick up the extra spending cash they want to keep in their pockets taking that away from impoverished areas where the means simply does not exist for those kids and families?
The article referenced Edmond, but the problem exists for ALL Oklahoma schools. The State questions that lowered income to schools are felt by all schools, not just Edmond. Edmond did not enact a lowering of taxes the state did.
You are correct, but NewsOK wrote this story about Edmond schools. Therefore, I wrote about Edmond schools, not the state’s.
SQ766 was a “state” question, not a “township” question. Just FYI, Edmond is a city, not a township. In no way was there a mention of taking money away from anyone else, it was about the fact that there is not enough. You cut funding to schools, you cut funding to ALL schools. By the way – everyone here is very keen on bashing Edmond, but if it is so bad, why is everyone moving there so their kids can get a better education? Sign me – a Liberal Edmonite who appreciates the fact that my kids are getting an awesome education.
+1
We have underfunded schools, shitty roads that take decades to build/repair and some of the lowest state taxes of the nation and Oklahomans still bitch about local taxes being too high.
We need to stop screwing over the future generations and pay for the same quality infrastructure and schools we grew up with.
relevant meme: http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/scumbag-baby-boomer.jpg
Back in November several of us were begging people to vote down that proposal. Well, you deserve what you get, Oklahoma. My final assessment about this topic: education money IS wasted money on many Okies.
What I have seen is that people want conservative approach to national governance, but would much rather have liberal (read: public investment) on the local level. Look at everything widely poplar Mayor Mick has done, all would be considered Democrat tactics on national level.
I am astonished how little most peopel know about educational funding, but they want to make comments about it.
1) Typically local taxes only make up 25-30% of a districts budget. Yes, you can locally raise some taxes to make up for some lost revenue, but not a whole lot, as for how I understand it, you are limited to how much ad valorem taxes are available to tax.
2) The lottery has very little to do with this. The legislature did not decrease spending dollar for dollar for the money that has come in from the lottery. The lottery HAS provided millions of dollars for education. It could provide even more if they were not hamstrung by idiotic rules.
3) Our stupid electorate is the one that voted for the decrease in ad valorem taxes across the entire state. That means that every school district lost money, not just Edmond.
4) I’m sorry, but I would sure as hell rather see less non-violent people in prison and more $$$ for schools. Its about priorities. And locking up marijuana users is flat out ridiculous.
5) I’m a republican.
Apparently you aren’t one of the republicans that frequently comment at NewsOK.com.
I live in Edmond and I like it. However, when I got my property tax bill last year, it was a shocker. I don’t have kids in school there (or anywhere, for that matter) but I know that good schools are good for the community and thus help my property values. The loonies on Lincloln are mostly responsible for this mess. However, we keep sending the same ones back year after year, then bitch about what they do when they get there. Take it up with them.
I keep hearing we get what we deserve because we keep sending the same people up to Lincoln. But, my district has turned its representative over several times in recent years. The problem is there is no difference between those we have to choose from, so how can we bring change? Cronyism is a necessity for election, no matter the party, and when they get up there they do the same old things as the one we voted out. Then just run yourself, you say? I don’t have $100,000 to do it. And to get it, I’d have to become a crony.
I’m an Oklahoma teacher. I teacher in a building built in the 1920′s, in a town that hasn’t passed a bond issue since the 1980′s.
My classroom is small, cold when it’s cold, and hot when it’s hot. I have a rusted out sink on one wall, holes in the plaster, weird old capped pipes protruding through the floor.
I’m good at covering these things with posters, and desks, and fake plants. I cannot cover up the fact that education in this state means so little to the voters. I cannot cover up the lack of novels in my English classroom.
I write grants for books, buy notebooks, and pencils, and book covers, and glue, and markers for my kids. I provide my own paper towels and cleaning supplies.
I want to attend more professional development in my field. I even can pay for it myself, since I know there’s no money. But I have to use my personal days (I get 3) and when those are gone, then no more personal development.
I’m sorry… I did not mean to rant. I just did not know about this side of being a teacher.
I hate that for you and other teachers, but could you comment on what/how much the Principal/Surperindentant makes as compared to the teachers? Also how often do they go to “paid” development conferences? I’m betting they don’t miss many.
I thought Brad Henry’s lottery was going to solve all the problems with public schools in Oklahoma?
I guess the “stupid people tax” i.e. the lottery wasnt the savior like Henry proclaimed.
The lottery money didn’t hurt. The state question that slaughtered tax revenues for the schools did, Doofus. Try reading the article.
I move to Oklahoma in 2006 when my oldest kid was 2. We lived in an OKC apartment. When we were ready to buy a house in late 2007 our first priority was our kids education. So guess what…we bought a house in Edmond! Yes the taxes are higher but it’s a small price to pay for the better education Edmond school have to offer. My oldest in now in 3rd grade and my other kiddo will be starting pre K next fall. I’ll be voting yes on the bond and will willingly raise my taxes. I’m a Dem from New England so I’m no stranger to high taxes. I voted no on SQ766 because I knew it would screw education but as a previous poster said, all the people saw was lower taxes and couldn’t wait to pass it. Edmond has great schools because the citizens do what it takes to keep it that way and will again with the next local school funding bond.
It’s people like you who move to Oklahoma who help crowd our schools
Overcrowding kills a kid’s education if you ask me. My kid went to an elementary that went from a 12:1 student teacher ratio to over 22:1 due to transfers from other “less educational schools” outside of our district. My property taxes were high, as was the $350 a year millage appropriated for those that actually lived within the district.
The school approved nearly every transfer request and within a 4-year span, you could see the difference in the quality of the school and its ability to educate.
Really the only good thing about the “new” students who went to school there were the fresh soccer moms and their store-bought uppers.
Here’s the deal edmond schools as all screwed up.on so many levels, why do I have the credibility to say so ( former edmond schools employee, current edmond schools contractor, former edmond schools student.) I’ve been a round the system for 17 years.
Edmond schools dont need to have more funding, what they need is to reevaluate there current budget. Why you may ask? Here’s why:
1. When I was working for edmond schools I was getting paid a whole 8 bucks an hour. When i was let go it was for budget reasons and now I work for a contractor that does a lot of work in edmond, working for 110 an hour per person. Sound a little screwy?
2. Have any of you driven by the highschools in the last 3 years? Do these keeps people out? I drive in every day, there has not once been an attendant at those gaurd shacks. So I ask why? The changes made with the really nice looking fences around the schools don’t serve their purpose so why so much money dished out. This is a mark of stupid spending.
3. Did you know that there is a person that gets paid a bunch (80 k or better a year) just to configure Cisco phones. To me this is a waist. Yes there are phones everywhere. But news flash Cisco phones are not rocket science! Teach the kid making 8 an hour to do it. I promise that the gratefull kid that works his ass off for the lacky uppers on the edmond schools will do a much more efficent job!
4. Fact, edmond schools has more meetings about having meetings than actually gets done. Make more action!
Money is not being spent wisley in edmond. Someone needs to step in and help them re-evaluate
If I were a parent I would be seeking other school systems when your kids will learn something. Somewhere where the class size is only 20 max. Not 40 max like edmond. Then they want to raise the class size? Hah that’s a joke for both teachers( who are just babysitters right now) and students (who are the real victims out of it all).