Education needs support
Was dismayed to read the headline “Legislators support teacher raises” in the Examiner-Enterprise and to then read the detail behind the headline. There were several statements contradicting this support including “the state needs to look at efficiencies before raising additional revenue with taxes” and “not sure if public education in Oklahoma is underfunded.”
The legislature has been trying to cobble together a state budget without addressing the basic funding issues for some time now. The rainy-day and other “one-time” funds are exhausted. There are no significant efficiencies remaining.
Education is the single biggest investment we can make in our state. A well-educated population attracts and creates more business and reaps more long-term benefits than any other investment. Graduates are more likely to be employed, and to therefore pay taxes. There is a direct correlation between poor education and crime, prison population, homelessness, teenage pregnancies, divorce rates, etc. …
The layoffs in the schools and chronic underfunding for staff contributes to the recession in our state. If our state employees were brought up to a salary equivalent to our neighboring states — most of that money would stay in Oklahoma and create even more jobs.
Education isn’t the only entity suffering. According to another article this past week, we have lost $93 million for Medicaid funding for nursing homes since 2010. Nursing homes for the low-income elderly are in danger of closing. DHS employees and state prison employees (over one third of which qualify for food stamps), are among the many state employees suffering from the funding woes.
Two of our local legislators have not supported the Republican leadership who have been willing to make the compromises necessary for Oklahoma to be a functional state. We need to do the right thing for our state employees, children, elderly and our infrastructure.
Janis Blanton
Bartlesville