OKLAHOMA’S POOR NEED MUCH MORE THAN CHARTERS CAN GIVE
What was once Harding High School in Okla. City Public Schools is now Harding Charter Preparatory High School, authorized by the district.| Photo by Brett Dickerson
There has been a surge of anti-public-education talk in the past several weeks. Why?
Legislation to allow the governments of Tulsa and Oklahoma City to establish their own charter schools has come back to life as an amendment to another bill in the Oklahoma Legislature.
And the bill’s promoters want to make their case that the two biggest urban districts in the state are horrible, dystopic places that deserve abandonment instead of support and renewal.
OKC and Tulsa governments could start charters on their own – So much for worry about “government schools”
HB 1696 contains modified language that was once in SB 68 which could not get enough support in the House. It was “laid over” by its author, Senator David Holt (R-Oklahoma City), so that the language could be put into another bill later.
Now that the associations for school boards and school administrators have negotiated to allow for charter schools to be everywhere in Oklahoma under illusory control by their local districts, this bill would modify what was just signed by the governor.
If HB 1696 passes, the city governments of Tulsa and Oklahoma City could establish their own charter schools independent of their respective school districts. The only recourse of those districts would be to call for an expensive public “yes/no” special election on each charter establishment being proposed.
How many times do we think that will happen until the public becomes weary of the special elections? You know the answer. And that’s the plan.
An opinion piece promoting the bill in today’s edition of The Oklahoman argued that “the charter model has been highly successful in Oklahoma City” as they failed to mention that all of the charters they cite in OKC have been authorized by OKCPS.
Isn’t it astonishing that those who get into such a froth about “government schools” are excited to establish…government schools? The only difference is that these government schools will not be controlled directly by democratically elected boards, only appointed boards of the mayors.
The tail that wags the dog: realtors
This idea is being pushed mostly by Oklahoma City senators and representatives who are doing the bidding of the realtors and the Oklahoma's Poor Need Much More than Charters Can Give:
