Public school enrollment in Oklahoma continues to rise
According to preliminary enrollment numbers presented to the State Board of Education, current-year pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade public school enrollment has climbed by 9,734 students from the previous school year.
Preliminary enrollment numbers indicate 654,511 students are now enrolled in Oklahoma public schools for the 2009-2010 school year, as compared to 644,754 last year.
Last year student enrollment grew by 3,056 students, which means Oklahoma public schools are educating nearly 13,000 new students since 2008 and 20,036 since 2005.
State officials said the majority of enrollment growth has been in the category of Hispanic students, climbing by more than 5,500 students (56.6 percent) since just last year and representing nearly all of the enrollment growth from the previous year as well. In 1990, 15,574 Oklahoma public school students were Hispanic; today that number is 73,172, according to the preliminary data.
Hispanic students now represent, according to these preliminary numbers, 11 percent of the total student population - the same percentage for Black students. Since 1990, white students have dropped by nearly 61,000 students to 56 percent of the student population.
This trend is clear when looking specifically at Oklahoma City Public Schools, which has surpassed Tulsa to be the state’s largest school district.
Oklahoma City has grown by 1,481 students and, of those new students, 1,284 are Hispanic. While Tulsa grew by a total of 298 students, it gained 695 additional Hispanic students. Hispanic students represent 41 percent of Oklahoma City’s students and 22 percent of Tulsa’s. Many of these students come to those schools with significant language barriers.
The preliminary enrollment data for 2009-2010 also indicates:
• The gap between the number of students enrolled in full-day pre-Kindergarten as opposed to half-day grew again this year (21,428 students compared to 15,950 students).
• Only 4,088 kindergarten students are enrolled in half-day kindergarten, compared to the 47,040 students enrolled in full-day programs.
• All but one (Putnam City, which declined by 90 students) of the top 10 largest school districts gained students from the previous school year.
The largest districts are: Oklahoma City (42,570 students), Tulsa (41,493), Moore (21,675), Edmond (20,747), Putnam City (18,700), Broken Arrow (16,618), Lawton (16,398), Union (15,010), Midwest City-Del City (14,643) and Norman (14,358).
• All but two of the 10 smallest districts (Straight and Felt) lost students from the previous school year. The smallest districts are: Plainview (9), Boley (37), Byars (53), Watson (54), Milfay (55), Nashoba (55), Greasy(67), Fanshawe (67), Straight (67) and Felt (68). Of these districts, only Felt is a preK-12th grade school district; the other nine are elementary school districts (also called dependent schools).
DHS chiefs get $200,000 in raises
Top administrative staff at the Department of Human Services received almost $200,000 in pay raises in the past year before the agency cut senior nutrition programs, records show.
“These raises were given at a time when the economic situation was bad and getting worse and a budget shortfall was clearly imminent,” said state Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore. “In light of the raises, I find it hard to believe DHS could not find any way to save money other than cutting nutritional programs for the elderly.”
Records show 29 of the top 36 administrators at the agency received raises in the past year. The pay raises ranged between $135 per month to an additional $1,894 per month. The pay raises totaled $16,380 per month and $196,560 per year.Terrill noted the pay raises were not approved by the Legislature and it is not known if those receiving the raises assumed any additional job responsibilities.
Terrill likened DHS officials’ actions to AIG executives who received millions in bonuses after obtaining taxpayer-funded bailout money from the federal government.
“DHS has violated the sacred trust with our seniors in the same way many greedy Wall Street robber barons violated the trust of the taxpayers who bailed them out,” Terrill said.
He said the case illustrates the need for even greater scrutiny of agency budgets as lawmakers revise appropriations due to the downturn.
“This unconscionable series of events calls into question the judgment of DHS’ senior management,” Terrill said. “With state workers facing furloughs or layoffs, the Legislature should scrub every agency budget to determine whether the DHS abuses are an isolated case or just the tip of the iceberg. Somehow, I suspect the latter.”
Holiday help for military families
LAWTON, Okla., (PRNewswire-USNewswire) - Carol Herrick may have recently joined Operation Homefront Oklahoma as its chapter president, but she’s wasting no time in digging in and setting up shop.
Long involved in helping area military families, one of the first things Herrick did in her new job was to announce the kickoff of the chapter’s holiday programs, which serve junior enlisted troops, their families and wounded warriors who have returned home.
“For Thanksgiving, we are distributing food baskets to military families that could use a little extra support this year,” Herrick said. “For Christmas, we are planning some wonderful surprises for our military families and wounded warriors in the area. Anything we can do to add a little cheer this time of year will make a big difference to our military families,” she concluded.
The chapter is seeking financial donations and gift cards that will be used to purchase supplies for the Thanksgiving gift baskets. Those wishing to contribute or to volunteer their time, or who know of military families that would benefit from this program may contact Carol Herrick at 580-583-7262, or via e-mail at carol.herrick@operationhomefront.net.
Operation Homefront provides emergency assistance for our troops, the families they leave behind and for wounded warriors when they return home. A national nonprofit, Operation Homefront leads more than 4,500 volunteers in 30 chapters nationwide, and has met more than 105,000 needs since 2002. Operation Homefront is a four-star rated charity by watchdog Charity Navigator. Nationally, $.92 of every dollar donated to Operation Homefront goes to programs.
For more information about Operation Homefront Oklahoma, please visit www.operationhomefront.net/oklahoma.
Health care to devastate Oklahoma
Two Republican State Senators are sounding the alarm bell regarding both versions of national health care reform that would devastate at least one new health care facility in Oklahoma City and cost Oklahoma County and surrounding environs over 500 jobs.
State Sen. Jim Reynolds and Sen. Harry Coates say both the Baucus and Pelosi versions would financially devastate many top-quality health care facilities, including the one Oklahoma Heart Hospital’s South Campus, which is set to open soon at I-240 and Sooner Road.
Begun in 2007, the current health care versions would financially undermine the facility by denying the facility federal reimbursement for services, such as Medicare and Medicaid. The new facility resides in Sen. Reynolds’ district.
“This facility, which cost $98 million, is nearly completed. It was built in order to improve the health of the citizens of the area, many of whom are elderly and many of whom have served this country. It is simply unconscionable to punish Oklahomans and Americans with this backdoor attempt to financially destroy a facility dedicated to saving lives,” Sen. Reynolds says. “It is an obscene provision, and it makes me wonder how much more obscene provisions lurk in the mammoth versions of these bills.”
According to Consumer Reports, the Oklahoma Heart Hospital’s Northwest Oklahoma City facility is Oklahoma’s top rated hospital. A joint venture of Mercy Hospital, Midwest City Regional and a group of local physicians, the facility will serve much of southeast Oklahoma County along with hundreds of active-duty military and veterans.
“This is simply and fundamentally unfair,” says Senator Coates, R-Seminole, who was asked to intervene by several veteran’s groups after news of the provisions began to filter down from Washington. “To deny high-quality health care for those who wear the uniforms of our nation’s armed services, their families and our nation’s veterans is a disgrace. Petty partisan politics and health care turf battles need not be played out in the health care reform effort underway in Washington, and I call on President Obama to intercede to ensure this unjust and unfair provision is removed from the final version of the bill.”
Both Sen. Coates and Sen. Reynolds plan to ask Gov. Henry, an early supporter of President Obama’s candidacy in 2008, to intercede quickly to remove the onerous provisions.
Largest gun show in the world
Wanenmacher’s Tulsa Arms Show, the biggest gun shows in America, will be November 14 & 15 in the QuikTrip Center of Expo Square (Tulsa Fairgrounds).
Billed as the world’s largest firearms show, it includes a total of 11 acres, with more than 4,000 exhibits of fine antique and modern firearms, knives, swords and accessories, which will be on display and for sale.
General-interest exhibits will include western and wildlife art, bronze work and jewelry. Several collectors organizations will be present with exhibits and items to sell.
The Ruger Collectors and Smith & Wesson Collectors will be featured guests. This show is international in scope, both in terms of exhibitors and spectators. The public is urged to bring their firearms, swords and knives to sell, trade or for free appraisal.
“Sales of firearms are expected to continue throughout this year at a very brisk rate as buyers avoid coming price increases and possible restrictive gun laws,” said Joe Wanenmacher. “In the past, antique and most modern firearms have proven to be a reliable hedge against inflation.
Both Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m., in order to encourage safety and education, a free seminar on firearms safety for children will be presented.
Western movie and TV star Dale Robertson will be a guest at that presentation.
Admission to the show is free with the purchase of a new NRA (National Rifle Association) membership at the door.
Over 5,000 spectators took advantage of this offer during the past year’s four show days.
Wanenmacher’s Tulsa Arms Show brings in more than sixteen million dollars to Tulsa and more people attend Wanenmacher’s Tulsa Arms Show than any other 2-day event at the Tulsa Fairgrounds.
The show is open to the public Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Advance tickets will be sold at Oklahoma Police Supply, MacKool’s Firearms, Midstates Coin and Militaria in London Square, Sports World, and Roy Oliver’s Jewelry & Loan. In the Oklahoma City area, tickets are available from C & J Sporting Goods in Bethany.
Visit the web site at www.tulsaarmsshow.com for information on parking, shuttles, hotels and more.
The show is sponsored by Tulsa Arms Collector’s Association.
Thievery increases during the holidays
Thieves like to take advantage of consumers during the holidays so it’s important consumers know how to protect themselves from the threats that exist on the Web, according to advice from the Tulsa Police Department.
When shopping online:
• Be sure your computer has antivirus, antispyware and antispam software.
• Keep your personal information private and secure.
• Don’t respond to requests to “verify” your password or credit card information.
• Use secure websites for purchases. Sites with the icon of a locked padlock at the bottom of the screen or “https” in the URL address indicate they are secure.
• Shop with companies you know and trust.
• Make charitable donations online only after you have investigated the charity.
• Consider alternative options, like disposable credit cards, to pay for your merchandise.
For information, call Sergeant Ali Maurer, Community Education Unit of the Tulsa Police Department at 591-4528 or amaurer@cityoftulsa.org
Democrats need to check history on budget cuts
Senator Mike Johnson (R-Kingfisher), suggested Senate Democrats might have considered camping out on the Capitol grounds in 2003 to protest their own leadership’s inaction on the DHS budget cuts at that time, and offered a civics lesson on how state government works.
“I understand our leadership office has received letters from various members of the Senate Democrat leadership over the past weeks to call Republicans to task for funding cuts to DHS and other programs,” Johnson said. “They want our leadership to call a special session to deal with various budget matters, and now they’re camping out on the Senate lawn to call attention to the matter.
“Obviously, we are very concerned about the impact on the elderly, the infirmed and the homebound members of the greatest generation, and want to do anything possible to honor and care for them in their retirement years.
“And I’m certain the calls for help from Democrat leaders is heartfelt, and has nothing to do with politics leading up to 2010.
“But I’ve got to wonder where they were in 2003 when DHS suffered similar cuts. I didn’t see any of them pitching a tent and rolling out sleeping bags to show their concern for the elderly when they were in the majority, and failed to fully restore this funding for two years.
“The fact is six years ago when they were in the majority, they didn’t lift a finger to fund senior nutrition when faced with a similar fate.
“In fact, every Democrat in the Senate with the exception of Senator Rabon voted against funding nutrition programs (HB 1197 - 5.20.02).”
In FY ‘03, the Department of Human Services cut funds to the Area Agencies on Aging, which administer senior nutrition programs around the state. Under Democrat leadership, cuts were not restored to these programs until FY ‘05.
“I also hope, given their genuine concern for the budget, that they will offer their own solutions to the crisis, as Senators Glenn Coffee, Jim Williamson, Scott Pruitt and I did in 2003, rather than write inflammatory news releases and resort to publicity stunts that bring no solutions,” he continued.
Johnson noted that all Democrat Senators voted for the DHS appropriations bill last session (HB 1216 - 5.26.09) and that DHS funding was mostly whole in the current budget, and that the aging services division, under which senior nutrition services are funded, received no cuts, as compared the vast majority of state agencies, who received 7 percent cuts in their budgets.
“The Senators know that the decision to cut senior nutrition by almost 30 percent was an executive agency decision over which neither Republican nor Democrat members of the Legislature have control,” Johnson said.
State law ends wasting money on Spanish tests
A new state law that took effect Nov. 1 will prevent the waste of taxpayer dollars on Spanish-language drivers’ tests, the bill’s author said.
“In a year of budget cuts, it makes no sense to spend extra money on Spanish-language drivers’ tests that serve no legitimate public policy purpose,” said state Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore. “Providing this special accommodation to non-English speakers indirectly encourages illegal immigration and prevents assimilation of legal immigrants.”
House Bill 2252, by Terrill and state Sen. Anthony Sykes, repealed the requirement for the Department of Public Safety to provide driver’s license tests in Spanish. The bill went into effect on Nov. 1.
Drivers who cannot read or speak English pose a public safety risk, Terrill noted.
“Individuals who cannot speak or read English cannot read most road signs and they cannot communicate with other drivers, law-enforcement personnel, or emergency responders in the event of an accident,” Terrill said.
The risk associated with non-English-proficient drivers is one reason the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s regulations require individuals seeking a commercial license for interstate commerce to “read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries and to make entries on reports and records.”
House Bill 2252 was prompted, in part, by a federal government investigation of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety over allegations the agency violated the civil rights of two Iranian immigrants who were not provided written driver’s license exams in Farsi, the dominant language of Iran.
The state has received multiple foreign-language requests since that time.
“If a government agency agrees to provide services in one foreign language, what basis does it have to deny services in any of the 322 languages now spoken in the United States?” Terrill asked. “By treating all citizens the same, House Bill 2252 also reduces the chances of a successful lawsuit that further drains taxpayer dollars.”
He said the cost of providing driver’s tests in foreign languages is between $25,000 and $50,000 per language, per year.
“At a time of significant budget cuts, we need to make every dollar count and cannot afford to waste money on these tests,” Terrill said.
Research has also shown that English proficiency provides enormous financial benefits for legal immigrants, Terrill noted.
“Proficiency in English increases the degree of one’s civic participation as well as earnings potential,” Terrill said. “State policy should not discourage the assimilation process and hold back legal immigrants.