First Class Education

Making Oklahoma 's Classrooms, Teachers and Students Our First Priorities
By Bob Sullivan

I love teachers.

Both my wife and one of my daughters have been teachers. I love teachers not just for the impact they've had on my life, but because I understand the impact teachers have on the lives of Oklahoma 's children and Oklahoma 's future.

Will our Oklahoma future be known for successful, highly educated, innovative citizens that competes with the top economies of the world? Or will Oklahoma be where underperforming schools have produced an underperforming workforce that compete with the world for the economic scraps from companies only seeking the lowest wages possible, forcing Oklahoma's best and brightest to seek their future elsewhere? What happens in our classrooms today will determine which course Oklahoma follows tomorrow.

That's why Oklahoma 's classrooms, teachers and students must be the first priorities of our K-12 education funding. Unfortunately far too often, they're not.

While Oklahoma taxpayers continue to fund K-12 public education at higher levels each year, Oklahoma ranks an embarrassing 46 th nationally in the percentage of education dollars that reach our classrooms – only 57.9% according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Think of it, 45 other states do a better job of getting their education dollars to their classrooms, teachers and students. If we don't do better at getting our education dollars to our classrooms, those other states are going to have better jobs for their graduating students!

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A local businessman is joining an initiative drive promising to put more money into Oklahoma classrooms.

David Ritchie, owner of Chisholm Creek Development, has joined First Class Edu-cation as co-chairman in the state's 3rd Congressional District.

The group has a little more than a month to gather enough signatures to put the 65 Percent Solution on the November ballot. The initiative aims to increase funding for in-classroom expenses, such as teachers' salaries, textbooks and computers without a tax increase.

In Februrary thousands of school teachers took the day off to descend on the state capitol to protest the buget shortfall and its thread to education funding.

Waving signs sayin " Save Our Schools" or S.O.S. the Oklahoma Education Association teachers union was out in force to demand MORE MONEY from the state's taxpayers.

We made a request from the State Superintendent Sandy Garrett's Office and got the number on our school superintendents.

The Rogers County Property Owners Association does not wish to involve itself in the debate over our schools except that IT IS the Property Owners' of Rogers County and Oklahoma who foot the bill for a large part of the funding for public education. We should have a say on HOW OUR MONEY IS SPENT!

Oklahoma has 552 Public School Superintendents. Many Superintendents also have Assistant Superintendents and other well-paid peresonnel on their staff. Superintendents alone draw almost 40 million dollars.

Initiative launched to keep more money in state classrooms

By Michael McNutt
The Oklahoman

An initiative petition drive was launched Tuesday that aims to keep at least 65 percent of public school money in the classroom for teachers and students.

Bob Sullivan, honorary chairman of First Class Education for Oklahoma, was the first to sign the petition.

Sullivan, a Tulsa oilman who is a Republican candidate for governor, said the group has 90 days to collect about 108,000 signatures of registered voters.

Organizers hope to be able to get the issue to voters for November's election. Television commercials promoting the drive were to air beginning Tuesday.

OKLAHOMA BY THE NUMBERS

Directions: Click on the map to see where your district ranks in "In the Classroom" spending