Senate panel OKs plan to strip power from Oklahoma education board

A state Senate committee has approved a bill to strip power from the Oklahoma State Board of Education and give the state school superintendent complete control of the agency.

 
The Associated Press | Modified: February 8, 2011 at 8:02 am | Published: February 7, 2011    Comment on this article Leave a comment

The state Senate's Education Committee approved a bill Monday to strip power from the Oklahoma state Board of Education and give the state schools superintendent complete control of the Department of Education.

photo - Oklahoma State Board of Education members Herb Rozell, at right, Betsy Maybry and Gayle Miles-Scott attend the first meeting of the Board of Education since State Superintendent Janet Barresi took office in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Jim Beckel)
Oklahoma State Board of Education members Herb Rozell, at right, Betsy Maybry and Gayle Miles-Scott attend the first meeting of the Board of Education since State Superintendent Janet Barresi took office in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Jim Beckel)

Multimedia

In a straight-line party vote on the first day of Oklahoma's legislative session, the committee voted 12-5 in favor of the bill by Sen. John Ford, R-Bartlesville. The vote came after a contentious meeting last month during which the board, filled with appointees by former Democratic Gov. Brad Henry, rejected three people newly elected Republican Superintendent Janet Barresi had nominated for senior staff positions.

The bill would remove the board's governing responsibilities over the Education Department and essentially reduce it to an advisory panel. The superintendent would be able to set policies and make rules for the department's operation, as well as have control over “personnel and their appointment and salaries and other operations.”

The bill would give the board — a constitutional panel — “the responsibility to give advice and make recommendations to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction on all matters pertaining to the supervision of instruction in the public schools.”

Ford said Barresi was elected on a platform to reform the state's education system and said it was not wise to have a board that would keep her from doing so.

“What we're trying to do is to make sure the Board of Education is accountable to the citizens of Oklahoma,” Ford said.

Democrats, including Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre of Tulsa, criticized the bill as a “knee-jerk reaction” to what happened at the meeting. Sen. Richard Lerblance, D-Hartshorne, called it “a power grab by those who are in power.”

Sen. Susan Paddack, D-Ada, cited the Education Department's budget — $2.38 billion during the current fiscal year, about one-third of the overall state budget — as a reason not to give so much power to the superintendent.

“I really believe it removes a system of checks and balances,” said Paddack, who lost to Barresi in the race for the superintendent's post.

The bill takes into account the “will of the voters,” Ford said, and takes power from an unelected board.

Page 1 of 2



If you prefer your thoughts to appear in The Oklahoman's Opinion section, we encourage you to submit a letter to the editor.

Ads by Yahoo!

New Rule in CALIFORNIA:
(MAY 2013): If You Pay For Car Insurance You Must Read This Immediately
www.ConsumerFinanceDaily.com
Diabetes Cure?
(Video) Man uncovers scientific research that destroys his diabetes.
DisarmDiabetes.com

News Photo Galleriesview all