Perspectives: Sam’s Perspective – School Supplies

At the time we are taping this, another summer has come to a close. Another election is right around the corner. Once again, voters will have the opportunity to change the course of history. As it stands right now, the history being written in this country is upside down. Trickle down is actually working. For example, On the national level, we have an election filled with hateful rhetoric, denial, empty promises that will never be fulfilled and party officials supporting what they know is wrong. That same behavior has trickled down to the local elections as well.
So who wins? Well, it won’t be you and it won’t be me. And for sure it won’t be the students or teachers in our public education system. And that’s a shame. Every year, teachers all across the great state of Oklahoma are faced with creating a personal budget that they stretch just to pay living expenses from the meager the salary they earn. Among their expenditures, how much will they be able to spend on their students. That’s right. Paying for classroom supplies out of their own pockets because schools can’t afford to buy them because their budgets have been cut by the state. No other profession faces a crisis such as the one being dumped on the shoulders of our educators. Here is something else teachers have to deal with,…
Oklahoma is now 50th. in the nation in teacher pay, because of the heavy cuts to education.
Why do we have the heavy cuts to education? Because of the tax reductions passed by lawmakers and approved by the governor that caused a major revenue failure in Oklahoma in the first place. Another sad element is, state lawmakers and the governor are proud of what they’ve done.

Add to this, class size is growing across the state,… more students for
already crowded classrooms, underfunded schools and underpaid, overworked, underappreciated teachers, all because lawmakers and the governor passed way too many tax cuts just to insure their reelection. To add insult to injury, we are also facing a teacher shortage because we are losing some of the best and brightest to states that pay much more because they value education much more. And I don’t want to hear that old bit about how some of you used to walk 10 miles through the snow just to get to school, so our kids ought to be able to walk to school too.
Just like you did,…. And to hear you tell it,… quote, “I done all right.” Sure you did.
And while the crowd in Oklahoma City whines that education in other countries is superior to ours, they fail to mention support for education in those other countries is also superior and getting stronger every day. Its no wonder they want to build a wall.

And that’s my perspective.