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April 12, 2012

Owasso Superintendent: Changes in income tax threaten education

Emily Ramsey Education Reporter

OWASSO —  

Governor Mary Fallin and legislators have proposed to reduce and possibly eliminate Oklahoma’s income tax. 
“The numbers just doesn’t add up,” said Owasso Superintendent Clark Ogilvie. “Oklahoma already rates 48th in the nation in education funding.”
According to the Oklahoma Policy Institute, Oklahoma’s public schools received $743.4 million from the personal income tax this year. That amount equals salary and benefits for almost 17,000 public school teachers.
“Over the last three years, budget cuts for Owasso schools equaled $4.5 million, and, during that time, we have gained  many more students,” Ogilvie said. “Our funding has not followed our growth.”
Ogilvie encourages parents and the community to voice their opinions at the Education Forum on Thursday. Approximately eight state legislators will be in attendance to answer audience questions. The forum will be held in the Owasso High School Commons and will begin at 5 p.m.
“I want to encourage attendees to respect our legislators at the forum whether they voted for them or not,” Ogilvie said. “They are paying us a courtesy to come that evening and to try to answer some hard questions.”
The forum is sponsored by the Owasso Parent Legislative Action Committee (PLAC).
The PLAC is made up of area school districts, including Jenks, Union, Broken Arrow and Sand Springs, with the purpose of encouraging parents to lobby for education with the state legislature.
“The best way to communicate with our legislature is through our parents and communities,” said Ogilvie. “It helps to remind our legislators that other viewpoints may exist among their constituents as opposed to what they hear at the Capitol.”
Owasso seniors are proving capable of complying with the state’s new EOI standards. Only 20 students, or three percent, of Owasso’s seniors have yet to pass their final exams. 
However, to further help seniors, a bill is waiting to be passed in the Senate to benefit students who cannot pass four of their final exams because of extenuating circumstances. The bill would allow students to appeal to the State Department of Education for a waiver or alternative project to meet requirements for graduation. 
Owasso administrators are hopeful that the bill will be passed quickly in order to benefit the current senior class. 
“I don’t know that all of our 20 students would meet the criteria to appeal, but I know that a number of them would,” Ogilvie said. 
As students continue to take their ACT exams, Ogilvie wants parents to rest assured that the recent high school cheating scandals are not likely to occur at Owasso.
“Owasso has many security measures in place that would make it very hard for a student to cheat,” Ogilvie said. “We have parent monitors and neutral observers in the classrooms during testing; tests also pass under many eyes to avoid an answer changing after tests are completed.”
The district also has strong disciplinary measures in place for any violations. 
“Teachers and staff know that they would be fired very quickly if they violate any of these regulations,” Ogilvie said.

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