Sep
8
Later this month, OFRG will release an update of the Blueprint for Transparency which looks at the information provided on school district websites. While the data is still being assessed, we can tell you that the results for this year will be incrementally better than last year.
For example, last year’s report found that 79 school districts had no website at all. This year, the number will be closer to 50 which is still too many, but an improvement. While the new sites don’t yet meet all ten of the transparency criteria, it’s at least a start.
Some districts have improved their websites dramatically, offering much more information now compared to just a year ago. When our report is published, it will be easy to see at a glance which districts made improvements and in which areas. We hope district officials will see that it’s not difficult to add information to a website. Something as simple as uploading the school board policy manual usually means getting a perfect score in the Open Records and Background Check categories. It’s not something that requires a lot of time or expense.
And that’s the thing about transparency. For the most part, it’s not difficult or expensive especially after the infrastructure is in place. Yet from the taxpayer’s standpoint, it confirms that government is going out of its way to help them. We hope all school districts make an effort to improve their websites over the next year and taxpayers should make their feelings known to district officials so improvements are made.
Sep
7
In the five years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the city’s school system has seen vast improvements. A former member of the Louisiana State School Board wrote in the Wall Street Journal last week that since reforms were made following the disaster,
- The number of fourth-grade students who pass the state’s standardized tests has jumped by almost a third—to 65% in 2010 from 49% in 2007. The passage rate among eighth-graders during the same period has improved at a similar clip, to 58% from 44%.
- In high school, the transformation has been even more impressive. Since 2007, the percentage of students meeting the state’s proficiency goals is up 44% for English and 45% for math.
- Schools have achieved this dramatic improvement despite serving a higher percentage of low-income students—84%—than they did before the storm. Many of these students missed months or even a whole year of school.
More interesting statistics come from this Christian Science Monitor article:
- Before Katrina, 64 percent of New Orleans schools were deemed academically unacceptable by the state. By 2009, that was down to 42 percent.
- The number of seniors who made it to graduation rose from 50 percent in 2007 to about 90 percent in 2010.
One of the main factors responsible for this increase is that nearly 70% of the children in New Orleans attend charter schools. They are given more freedom from mandates, but also required to produce results. And it would appear that the results are moving in the right direction.
Obviously this is not a solution that would work all across Oklahoma, but perhaps some elements of New Orleans’ success could be replicated here. Oklahoma lawmakers tried to give districts more freedom with Senate Bill 834 which would have freed school districts from most of the mandates they currently operate under, just like charter schools do now. That bill was vetoed by Governor Henry in 2009.
States are supposed to be the “laboratories of democracy” that try out innovative ways to tackle problems in society. So when a state like Louisiana comes across a way to improve education results, it’s the role of states like Oklahoma to copy the idea and build upon it.
Sep
3
Edmond businessman Phil Busey was one of the people the Oklahoma Education Association brought to testify at a House interim study last year on State Question 744. Today, he wrote in a column in the Edmond Sun that it’s “not the best approach to education reform.” He goes on to say,
The best way to avoid potential funding problems caused by passage of SQ 744 is for state leaders to finally begin work on a comprehensive educational package that can be implemented over the next five years with phased funding within a budget improved by economic conditions and other governmental reforms.
And later in the column, he talks about avoiding “potential negative impacts” with action and reforms.
While he does not say that he now opposes SQ 744, at least one high-profile supporter out there admits to potential funding problems and negative impacts that would come from a “Yes” vote. SQ 744 does not bring about any of the reforms that Mr. Busey is talking about. In fact, it’s much more likely that “business as usual” education as he calls it will continue, only with more money. And that money will either come from other state agencies or higher taxes.
Those who oppose SQ 744 do so not because we hate education but because we want to see a real solution. Let’s start the discussion about education reform that includes both a price tag and a way to pay for it. SQ 744 has neither.
Sep
3
Tales from the road
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It has been a busy summer for OFRG and the 60 days left until Election Day only promise to deliver more of the same. We’ve been going to towns around the state delivering presentations on State Question 744 and the other 10 state questions on the ballot.
Whether it’s Durant, McAlester, Bartlesville or Duncan, our message of the devastating effects of SQ 744 has been well-received. Sure, Oklahomans care about education and want what is best for their children. But they also understand that a state question which will result in either a tax increase or massive budget cuts in state government is NOT in their children’s best interest. We’ve even heard from some teachers who say they are opposed to SQ 744 because of how it would affect other state agencies. One teacher claimed that her superintendent promised job cuts if SQ 744 didn’t pass.
In McAlester, there are concerns over what will happen to the Department of Corrections if lawmakers have to cut all other state agencies to spend more on education. In Claremore, our presentation was made in a beautiful new career tech building which could see faculty layoffs, program cuts and higher tuition under SQ 744. You see, the money has to come from somewhere in the budget and Higher Education and Career Tech would suffer along with all other agencies.
Of course, budget cuts are not the only solution. There could be tax increases as well. But ask the people of Durant who are already paying a sales tax rate of over 9% if they want that increased to 11% in order to pay for SQ 744. We can tell you the folks we talked to there don’t, so they will be voting against SQ 744. In fact, the vast majority of people who come to our presentations come up to us afterward and say they will be voting “No” as well.
Which is why we need your help. We need to get in front of as many people as possible between now and Election Day. If you belong to a civic or neighborhood group that you think would benefit from our presentation, please e-mail peter@ofrg.org and we will see if we can fit it into our schedule. If nothing else, please tell your friends and family about STOP744.com. We’re fighting an uphill battle, but we know that defeating SQ 744 is possible provided voters know the consequences.
Aug
31
The domino theory of SQ 744
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Supporters of State Question 744 like to tout the fact that the measure does not raise taxes or mandate that other agencies get their budgets cut. And they are right. In fact, there are no provisions at all in SQ 744 about how to pay for the billion dollar price tag.
That makes SQ 744 the first in a line of dominoes that will result in budget problems for lawmakers and, eventually, taxpayers. You can’t argue that since you only knocked over the first domino, you’re not responsible for the others falling as well. There are consequences to SQ 744 that supporters are trying to pretend don’t exist.
The FY 2012 budget has a billion-dollar hole in it, caused by lawmakers using one-time federal stimulus and Rainy Day funds. That means in order to have just a stand-still budget for FY 2012, the state will have to have revenues exceed estimates by a billion dollars. The first month of the current budget did exceed estimates by 12% or $40-million. But the state would need to see an increase of about 20% in order to have the surplus to cover the FY 2012 hole. Again, that’s simply to have a stand-still budget that doesn’t provide for increases in health insurance and other costs.
Now add to the mix the roughly $375-million cost of the first year phase-in of SQ 744. Supporters of SQ 744 say growth revenue will provide enough money to meet the mandate on education spending plus leave more for other agencies. I haven’t seen any economist predicting that Oklahoma will be bringing in an extra $1.3-billion this year.
The only way for lawmakers to increase education spending in FY 2012 is to take in more money through higher taxes or reduce spending elsewhere in the budget. Those are the dominoes that SQ 744 supporters don’t want you to see. But there is no doubt they are there and the only way to keep them standing is to defeat SQ 744.
Aug
30
Policy and a Pint
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State Question 744 will be the topic of a discussion tonight at Picasso’s in Oklahoma City’s Paseo District. Representatives from both sides of the issue will be on hand at the “Policy and a Pint” event which is put on by KOSU Public Radio. The format isn’t really a debate, just a way for the public to find out from each side why they believe the way they do.
KOSU did a story this morning on SQ 744 that included OFRG Executive Director Brian Downs. Yesterday’s episode of Oklahoma Forum on OETA was also on the topic of SQ 744. OFRG Communications Director Peter J. Rudy represented the STOP744 side.
We’re glad to see more and more people becoming educated on SQ 744. There are ways to improve Oklahoma’s education system that do not include decimating other state agencies or raising taxes. We believe that when people learn of the true cost with SQ 744, the more votes we have to defeat it in November.
Aug
25
Taxpayers flexed their muscles yesterday in Guthrie, Norman and Enid where bonds or fee increases on the ballot were shot down by voters.
In Guthrie, the school district was asking for nearly 90-million in bonds for improvements like a new high school, sports fields and gymnasium. It would have raised property taxes by 24% and nearly four out of five voters said “No.”
Norman is the only city in Oklahoma which has to ask citizens to approve rate increases. Two measures were on the ballot, one dealing with trash rates and the other water rates. In each case, the question was actually multiple increases - trash rates would have increased three times in two years and water rates twice. Both failed by an 18-point margin or more.
Enid voters narrowly defeated a $20-million bond proposal for a new events center and other improvements.
Guthrie had the highest turnout of the three races at 38% followed by Enid at 34% and Norman at less than 28%. We’ve railed in the past about low voter turnout deciding important bond measures. While these votes may not have been as low as some of the towns that voted earlier in the year, we’d still like to see more people take an active role in government.
Aug
24
There’s a hole in the budget now
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Following today’s State Supreme Court decision overturning the health insurance claims tax as unconstitutional (read our blog from yesterday here and our comment on the ruling here), we got a comment from Wayne Rohde about the impact on the state’s budget:
Now that this fee has been ruled unconstitutional, it was a center piece along with the proposed $50 million revenue from the camera system.
Now, what happens next. The state constitution requires a balanced budget. With these two items thrown out, does a special session need to be called to balance the budget?
We don’t think a special session is required. Here’s why:
The health insurance claims tax was supposed to raise $78-million which would have been used to get matching federal dollars for Medicaid. The State Treasurer and State Finance Director have a couple options to replace that money. First, they could take money from cash reserves, much like they did to offset higher mid-year cuts last year, to use as the state match. This money has to be replaced before the end of the fiscal year in June. They could assume that revenues will exceed expectations for the year and count on that money being there to pay back those cash reserves.
Similarly, they could reduce monthly allocations to agencies (two-percent across-the-board should be more than enough) to free up funds for the match. This money could then be given back to agencies through special appropriations passed by the next legislature provided the state continues to see revenues exceed estimates.
It’s that second option that should be used. We argued back when the budget agreement was reached that it relied far too heavily on new revenue and not nearly enough on budget cuts. Had the 3.4% average cut been increased to 5% it would have saved $96-million and there would have been no need for lawmakers to pass this unconstitutional bill.
Aug
23
Oral arguments were heard today at the State Supreme Court over the new law which imposes a fee on health insurance claims in order to raise around $78-million for Oklahoma’s Medicaid system. State Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland is challenging the constitutionality of the law.
Her argument is similar to the one we had back when the law was passed and sent to the Governor: as a revenue-increasing measure, the bill needed to pass with a super majority in each house or else a vote of the people. She also says the bill violates the rule prohibiting revenue increasing bills from passing in the last five days of the legislative session.
This will be a crucial decision by the Supreme Court that will have repercussions far beyond this specific bill. If it’s allowed to go through, then State Question 640 passed by the people in 1992 would lose much of its power. Lawmakers could simply invent new taxes and call them fees in order to get around the will of the people.
The constitutional language of SQ 640 seems to be very clear:
Article V, Section 33
A. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives. The Senate may propose amendments to revenue bills.
B. No revenue bill shall be passed during the last five days of the session.
C. Any revenue bill originating in the House of Representatives shall not become effective until it has been referred to the people of the state at the next general election held throughout the state and shall become effective and be in force when it has been approved by a majority of the votes cast on the measure at such an election and not otherwise, except as otherwise provided in subsection D of this section.
D. Any revenue bill originating in the House of Representatives may become law without being submitted to a vote of the people of the state if such bill receives the approval of three-fourths of the membership of the House of Representatives and three-fourths of the membership of the Senate and is submitted to the Governor for appropriate action. Any such revenue bill shall not be subject to the emergency measure provision authorized in Section 58 of this Article and shall not become effective and in force until ninety days after it has been approved by the Legislature, and acted upon by the Governor.
We hope that the justices find the law to be as clear on this issue as we do. While it would create a temporary problem for the current state budget, the problem would be much worse for Oklahoma’s taxpayers if the healthcare tax is allowed to go forward.
*Note: On Tuesday, August 24, the State Supreme Court overturned the health insurance claims tax as unconstitutional. To read OFRG’s comment on the ruling, click here.
Aug
17
Obama administration favors release of teacher performance data
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The Los Angeles Times published an analysis of teacher effectiveness earlier this week, using test score data that the paper says shows which teachers are more likely to get students to improve. According to the paper,
Contrary to popular belief, the best teachers were not concentrated in schools in the most affluent neighborhoods, nor were the weakest instructors bunched in poor areas. Rather, these teachers were scattered throughout the district. The quality of instruction typically varied far more within a school than between schools.
Although many parents fixate on picking the right school for their child, it matters far more which teacher the child gets. Teachers had three times as much influence on students’ academic development as the school they attend. Yet parents have no access to objective information about individual instructors, and they often have little say in which teacher their child gets.
Many of the factors commonly assumed to be important to teachers’ effectiveness were not. Although teachers are paid more for experience, education and training, none of this had much bearing on whether they improved their students’ performance.
Other studies of the district have found that students’ race, wealth, English proficiency or previous achievement level played little role in whether their teacher was effective.
Not everyone is happy with the report, but U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (pictured below with President Obama) had encouraging words to say. He thinks parents have a right to know if their children’s teachers are effective.
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