Education Matters

But it's guaranteed to step on even your toes.

Public education and its funding are front and center to current discourse in Oklahoma. It’s pretty much what everyone (not living under a rock) is arguing about in this state. The problem… no side wants to acknowledge the valid concerns or potential solutions from the other. With every expressed solution, (and this problem requires many) there is a “That’s off the table!” response from the opposition. By no means is this essay fully comprehensive; after all, it is an essay, not a book. However, it’s certainly a start to an uncomfortable conversation. It’s not likely you will agree with everything outlined below, but I appreciate viewpoints, vastly different from my own, which challenge me to see things from a different perspective. With that said, the further you read, the more likely you will be offended. This is an attempt to illustrate what many educated citizens think but don't dare say out loud. You've been warned.

Government/Politicians/State Department of Education:

You can look at how one spends time and money to know where their priorities are placed. Evident through investments in time and money (or in this case, lack there of), Oklahoma does not appear to value public education in the slightest. Time. When was the last time our governor, senators, representatives, and their staff spent a week (or even a day) inside an Oklahoma classroom? (And no, photo op tours don’t count here!) Since many are so completely disconnected and have not bothered to personally investigate, I’ll share a simple story, which scarcely scrapes the surface. 13 years ago I moved to Tulsa from Texas and finally (for financial reasons) was able to take the opportunity to pursue my dream of teaching. My college degree was/is not in education, so I spent the year taking tests, dotting ‘I’s and crossing ‘T’s to become a fully certified teacher. During this time, I taught as a substitute to gain insight into the different area schools. What an eye-opener! On this particular day, I subbed for a math teacher at a Tulsa middle school. I was a little shocked to discover the math class was held in a computer lab (seemingly all day, every day). When I say computer lab, please picture large outdated computer monitors, bulky hard drives, wired keyboards, and wired mice covering every table. There was literally no space to be found for a student to place a math textbook or paper for problem practice. It was obvious this was not a sensible setup for teaching math. In addition, there were 30+ students per class, but there were only about 25 chairs. You do the math. Students were forced to literally share chairs (yes, two to a chair), not to mention these same students still had to share a workspace not suitable for one. This was 13 years ago people! And this was not the poorest school in Tulsa. Do you think the situation has improved after the state (wait, that’s you) CUT $220 million dollars to education funding over the last 10 years? Hard to argue all cuts were “waste, fraud, and abuse”. Currently, even “good” schools are struggling to keep class sizes under 35. While arguably, this might sound reasonable for an AP (college level) Physics course, it is far from appropriate in most other classes, especially elementary classes and secondary core classes. Vocational programs, foreign language classes, elementary PE, and programs in the arts have been eliminated or drastically cut, too. Do you believe these programs are no longer important for a well-rounded education? Maybe you are unaware these problems exist because you haven’t spent time in Oklahoma classrooms evaluating the deteriorating situation. Or worse, maybe you don’t care. You are charged and entrusted with a) funding public education and b) serving the citizens of Oklahoma (most of which have attended/attend/will attend a public school). Do your homework on the issues, and do your job!

Before I leave the topic of time, I would like to ask for more of it. (And yes, that costs money, too.) In case you aren’t aware, Oklahoma has fewer instructional days than any bordering state and most have more minutes per day, too. You may not think much of it, but 5 extra days is huge! Even adding a mere 5 minutes to each school day is the equivalent of 15 additional hours of instruction. We are being out-performed by 40+ other states, as confirmed by our bottom of the barrel ranking. It’s reasonable to conclude that 'time' is a contributing factor. I realize for added time to actually improve student skillsets, you need it to be well-structured and in the hands of high performing, intentional teachers.

Money: Need I restate the obvious? Have you ever heard “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance”? Look at what we dole out on incarceration in this state; Oklahoma spends double per inmate as compared to what we spend per pupil. (Surely you are well aware we sit at the top of the list for incarceration rates.) While education will not solve every societal woe, surely we can all agree it can and should lower incarceration rates. Politicians have made the fundamental funding of public education a political issue. Why? I’m a fiscal conservative, and yet I strongly support funding public education. Benjamin Franklin said it best, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest”. Is this lost on our legislators? When it comes to investments, legislators have no problem giving themselves raises and procuring health benefits well beyond what teachers and other state employees receive. Did you know Oklahoma sits at the top of that list, too? When it comes to compensation for legislators, you guessed it; we’re way up there.

Where’s the lottery money? Oh yeah… the legislature used the $10 million dollars as a substitute for approved education funding in 2017. This was illegal since it was earmarked as a supplement to funding. Did our representatives not know the difference? Money for testing, where’d that go? Some state EOI (End Of Instruction) exams have been eliminated in Oklahoma over the past 5-6 years. As a state, we were spending millions each year on state testing prior to some elimination. Where did the money go after we quit testing? I’m not sure.

While on the subject of testing… accountability is essential. However, state testing with absolutely all the bark and none of the bite, well, that’s a complete waste of both time and money! Let me illustrate. I taught Algebra I, which was once married to high-stakes EOI exams. Students could not graduate from high school without passing this test. In theory, an end-of-instruction exam is a perfect way to ensure 1) teachers across the state are consistent when evaluating algebra skills and assigning high school credits and 2) students at least show proficiency in basic algebra before getting a high school diploma. The reality? Well, that’s an entirely different story. In Oklahoma, a “proficient” algebra score was as low as 42%. No, that is not a typo, nor exaggeration. Of course, administrators, parents, and even some teachers were unaware of the ridiculously low bar due to the ambiguous scores assigned to percentages. 42% might be assigned a score of 621 (because that number is meaningful to the general public). How did I unlock the mystery? Good question. For years, it took rocket science to figure it out, but once testing was moved on-line and students were able to see their ‘number correct’ out of ‘number assessed’ (23 of 55), only simple division was required to determine the actual, meaningful score. You might be asking why anyone would deem 42% as an acceptable level of proficiency. Another good question. Previously, when simply taking the exam was required, roughly 60% was deemed satisfactory. (60% was still represented by an unintelligible score.) However, when Oklahoma made passing this exam a “graduation requirement”, what were we going to do with the 80% of students failing by this measure at so many high schools? Would we remediate them? Not let them graduate? Since our state was not meeting the mark, Oklahoma decided to lower the bar. And this illustration merely scratches the surface of standardized testing issues. I’m not opposed to testing or accountability reforms, but what was the end goal in the above example? Apparently to waste both time and millions of taxpayer dollars.

The Oklahoma state income tax rate was previously 7% but was eventually cut and sits at 5% today. Is it really so controversial to restore half of a percent (in-other-words, restore it to 5.5%)? This would generate $300 million dollars while only costing the average middle class family about $5/month. As for energy taxes, are we really afraid drilling companies will pack their bags? We are one of, if if not the lowest tax state. And to quote George Kaiser, “We drill where God put the hydrocarbons, not where the tax rate is lowest.” Restore the GPT (gross production tax); over 70% of this tax benefit goes to out-of-state shareholders anyway.

In addition, let’s not leave out the half-truths, broken promises, legal shell games, and outright lies many politicians have recently told regarding education legislation alone. The public is sick of backdoor and under-the-table deals but especially at the continued expense of quality education for Oklahoma children. Do legislators really care about the education of Oklahoma children? Many voters are starting to wonder where their children attend school. Maybe private. It’s not likely they attend schools like Tulsa's McLain. If they did, there would surely be a better understanding of the "lack of funding" issue. Rest assured, I’m not knocking private schools nor public schools with greater community support, but does the disconnect leave our politicians unaffected and apathetic to the others?

Administration/School Leadership:

You, too, are guilty of wasteful spending, misappropriation, and at the very least, terrible public relations. For starters, in far too many districts, there are decidedly too many of you in administrative positions. To clarify… I’m defining “administration” as any position paid above a teacher’s wage with the exception of counselors and librarians. Once one of these positions is created, it will live forever, no matter the financial crisis at hand; the person in said position will arduously fight to keep it, creating new but “necessary” (insert air quotes here) responsibilities and projects, making themselves appear indispensable to higher administration. The state has a 5% cap on administrative positions within a school district; I wonder what titles do and do not fall under this “official” category. I’m confident schools “technically” fall under the mandatory maximum, but in reality... oh the loopholes! Some of these extraneous positions could be eliminated without negatively affecting one single child’s education. In contrast, their education is significantly and negatively affected when they are in a first grade class of 28+ students because another first grade class was eliminated, and students were absorbed into other classes. Their education is also adversely impacted when they’re in desperate need of individual help but their teacher is spread too thin amongst an algebra class of 32. Budget cuts due to lack of funding… we get that. We understand the lack of state school funding is not within your control. What is within your control? The actual cuts. It would be more prudent to cut superfluous administrative positions before critical classroom teacher positions.

Secondly, you build huge, fancy facilities (albeit through local bond proposals), which create real PR issues. Average Cindy Citizen drives by the million-dollar, first class stadium and other state-of-the art buildings and then wonders why her son’s teacher is requesting basic classroom supplies like dry erase markers and calculator batteries. She also questions why her daughter’s teacher would need an Amazon wish list including books for students to read. These are valid questions from Cindy Citizen. Why are some districts spending money for school name changes (due to potentially offensive nature of said name) at a time when school budgets are beyond tight? Is it judicious to allocate such precious, limited funds in this way, at this time, regardless of ones’ opinion on the hot topic? I realize boards and superintendents can only 'do' as much as their communities will support, but some Oklahoma communities misplace their support based on the recommendations you put forth. While school boards and voters in wealthy communities may support elaborate, educationally-nonessential, construction projects, Cindy Citizen sees a contradiction of priorities and substantial inequality between districts. (But inequality is a topic for another day.)

Rural administrators, are you willing to consolidate your roles with other rural schools to improve the funding flow to your own school? I’m not even referring to the consolidation of schools (yet another debatable issue); but rather, I’m suggesting one superintendent over multiple small schools verses one over each and every, single, small school, no matter its size. Let’s be honest, the ratio of a [superintendent's salary] to their district's [number of students] in rural Oklahoma is quite different from the same ratio in metropolitan Oklahoma. In contrast, Florida has 76 school districts as compared to Oklahoma's 425. (And, this number does not include our dependent districts servicing only lower grades.) If Florida educates approximately 2 million more students, why does Oklahoma need 349 more districts (and therefore 349 more superintendents)? Let's do some math. If Oklahoma could efficiently operate with 349 fewer superintendents, and we use $80,000 as an average salary, we are talking about surplus funds of almost $28 million dollars. If we consolidated administrations throughout the state, maybe the rural schools currently existing without a counselor could then afford to hire one. Just a thought.

And finally, principals, let’s have better allocation of schools’ most valuable resources… teachers. Why are the best-of-the-best often placed with our highest achievers? I know this will be a highly controversial opinion, but please hear it out. Our weakest students need our best teachers! Let’s face it; students in Advance Placement classes or those performing well above grade level are self-motivated and driven, regardless of the teacher. And most come with personal advocates, usually parents. Engaged parents are most likely the reason you place the best teachers with the best students. You are certain to hear from these parents if their child gets a bad teacher (and justifiably so). But who is advocating for the weak? Unfortunately, many times, it’s not their parents. Don’t misunderstand. All students do deserve great teachers. But, if you believe the high achievers deserve them more, then you’re already admitting not all teachers are great or even satisfactory. And for those who believe it would be grossly unfair to place lower-performing teachers with the over-achievers (or your children)… if those teachers aren’t good enough for your children, they shouldn’t be good enough for anyone’s children! Research shows it takes three consecutive years with a highly effective teacher to change the trajectory of a student's life. Let's not hijack this trajectory with highly ineffective teachers. If you want to see historic, unprecedented improvement in public education, double down on our most vulnerable where our biggest educational gaps exist. Not your goal? Don’t rock the boat; just keep the status quo.

Teacher Unions:

Recently, you rallied teachers together. That's a positive. Not sure your PR message was on point at the start, but I’ll give you credit for helping to organize a historic movement for better education funding in Oklahoma. Lord knows it is long overdue. But for the love of children, why oh why do you stand behind and protect the worst? Don’t our kids deserve more (like your walkout signs depict)? Yes, they deserve the best! They don’t deserve pathetic teachers. And I hate to break it to ya…not all teachers are stellar. (Some of you just got offended.) Surely we’ve all known at least one. While these certainly are not the majority, let’s not pretend you don’t know exactly who I’m talking about. Need I give specific examples from my own experience? I could start back as early as the fifth grade. Administrators must be ordained miracle workers in order to get rid of incompetent teachers. To fire a teacher without a nasty, expensive fight, the teacher must be caught bringing illicit drugs to school, bringing a deadly weapon to school, or molesting a student. In other words, why is 'INCOMPETENCE' not a valid reason for teacher termination? Why? Unfortunately, this is thanks to you! In the real world, most employees have to consistently show up to work (even on time), undergo evaluations, and perform. Yes, competently perform. Some do not get paid if they do not create results! (This is better known as self-employment or sales.) Why do we keep teachers who consistently and unequivocally underperform? (For part 2 of this answer, keep reading; refer to "Citizens of Oklahoma".) You don’t want your kids in the under-performer’s class, but other parents’ children… well, that’s a different story. “Put them on a growth plan”, you say. Yeah, that will work. (Insert eye-roll here.) In the mean time, which children get the privilege of banking on the success of said growth plan? There’s a difference in helping good teachers become better and making infinite attempts to resurrect the dead. Getting the wrong people off the bus and getting the right people on the bus (to quote the book Good to Great) is essential to providing quality education. You, my union friends, are responsible for keeping the wrong people on the bus!

Additionally (and very ironically), national and other state unions are partially to blame for lower teacher pay. Yes. You read that correctly. Want an example? Let’s take Washington, DC circa 2007. Teachers were offered across-the-board 20% pay raises and opportunities for large performance bonuses. (We are talking salaries with strong potential to easily exceed $100,000 and bonuses funded by private philanthropist money.) The catch was to give up tenure protections that made teachers difficult to fire. Unions fought back against such a ghastly suggestion. Many controversial reforms, including accountability measures and new teacher assessments, were implemented under Michelle Rhee’s leadership, making her name a curse word in union circles. But here’s what union reps hate to admit but academic analysis has confirmed: her controversial reforms worked. Multiple studies have shown the significant gains DC students achieved in reading and math 2007-2015. (Look it up. There are great articles out there, including one in US News and World Report.) “Guaranteed jobs for life”, that’s the union’s demand; I sure wish they were more concerned with the actual success of the teacher holding that job. Unions brainwash teachers into believing accountability is the enemy. Once again, unions, you are part of the problem.

Teachers:

There is NO DOUBT… the single greatest determining factor in a child’s education is THE TEACHER IN THE CLASSROOM! This is where the rubber meets the road. Teachers certainly need good leadership and support staff to thrive; however, without teachers, there would be no education system to speak of. In the midst of their instructional priorities, teachers cradle the brokenness in our society. Look around; it’s not hard to find. It has been said, “children who are loved at home come to school to learn, and students who aren’t, come to school to be loved”. Sadly, you can find these children in almost every Oklahoma classroom. Children without permanent homes; children living in poverty; children who are abused (physically, emotionally, sexually); children unsure of their next meal; children living amongst addiction; children struggling with addiction; children who have experienced serious traumas; children with special needs (physical and educational); children whose parents are incarcerated; children who themselves just left “juvi” (otherwise known as a juvenile detention center); children who are “the parents” in their own home; children who are struggling with the English language; children who just lost a parent or sibling; children who struggle with mental illness and/or who’ve attempted suicide; children who were just rescued from a refuge camp across the globe; children who were/are 4+ grade levels behind in their home country and yet were placed in an age-based American classroom; children whose parents are in a gang; children who are in a gang; children who have been/are hospitalized for long periods of time; children who are just trying to survive one day at a time and whose only stability is found at school. This is the short list, but you get the picture. In today’s society, good teachers are so much more than educational instructors. They have to be, because “It’s relationships, not programs that change children. A great program simply creates the environment for healthy relationships to form between adults and children. Young people thrive when adults care about them on a one-to-one level, and when they also have a sense of belonging to a caring community.” (Bill Milliken, author of Tough Love and The Last Dropout)

With the addition of technology and extraneous administrators (see “Admin/School Leadership above”), many more daily tasks have been added to the plate of teachers (and even more if you are a good teacher). Years ago, a one-hour planning period would possibly suffice to develop and organize lesson plans, grade papers, create class activities, plan assignments, design proper assessments, make copies, record grades, prepare makeup work for absent students, and fill-in report cards. Okay, so maybe one-hour still didn’t quite cut it for the above-average teacher. But, today add to the list: check/respond to voicemail, check/respond to email from parents, students, counselors, principals, administrative assistants, department heads; cross-reference 30+ IEPs (individual education plans) with said assignments and assessments to ensure compliance; post lesson plans and class assignments to online site; possibly post instructional video to online site; meet with counselor to address individual student concerns; meet with parents; meet with assistant principals over discipline issues; participate in district or campus committee meetings; meet with extraneous administrators over implementation of additional district testing to ensure students are prepared for high-stakes state exams; etc. etc. etc. The average teacher can’t fit it all in, much less those who go well above and beyond.

After acknowledging the heavy weight teachers carry, I must ask: teachers, why do some of you hurt your own cause? It’s hard to gain or keep respect as a professional if you don't look and sound the part. Wearing a “poop emoji” hat while seeking public support for the current Oklahoma walkout is not the way to go! (Unfortunately, you were even featured on the local news.) Do you honestly think this action will garnish additional public support for more funding and convince those in doubt, that you are, indeed, a true professional? Also, to those holding some less than classy demonstration signs, you too, are getting a message across; the message… teachers are unprofessional and have the maturity level of the students they teach. (Thanks from the rest of us.) Please keep it professional. Look like a professional. Act like a professional. You have so much more to offer (see previous two paragraphs). You have a college degree, and you perform your job in front of live audiences on a daily basis instead of sitting behind a cubicle outside of public view. So, while on the job, dress like a professional, which might look slightly different in an elementary classroom as opposed to a secondary one. I’m not suggesting you spend your non-existent, discretionary income on high-end fashion suits, but look respectable. What would be your first impression of a loan officer wearing flip-flops? What about a lawyer arguing before the court while wearing a t-shirt? Let’s be real, there are struggling college students making $8/hour working as bank tellers who look more professional than some teachers. As an added bonus, students usually respond with higher respect when your presence reflects that of one earning their respect. I’m also not saying every teacher has to be a Louanne Johnson (better known as Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds), or Ron Clark (played by Matthew Perry in The Ron Clark Story), or Jamie Escalante from Stand and Deliver; but it’s an honorable aspiration. And for heaven’s sake, use proper grammar when corresponding with parents and students. In reality, proper grammar is always respected and esteemed in any form of communication.

As for your public discourse, please quit talking about your student loans as if you thought they would be paid off quickly with your big teacher paychecks; we all know this was not a reasonable expectation. Non-educators, also working hard to pay off their student debt might find these grumblings somewhat insulting. Ultimately, this gripe does not enhance your message nor improve public sentiment towards teachers. To those of you who are great teachers, many of whom work 50+ hour weeks: please stop making public generalizations as if all teachers put in the same, long hours. The general public knows there are those who attempt to beat buses out of the school parking lot. I think it’s fair to say most approve of the recent cost-of-living raise for all teachers ($6,100) but are not so keen on giving additional money to those not earning what they currently receive. Therefore, the average citizen may not support an across-the-board $10,000 raise for EVERY teacher. Most professionals outside of education only experience significant raises when their performance is recognized. Why aren’t you open to incentives for high performing, highly effective teachers; aren’t you highly effective? Additionally, Oklahoma teachers are contracted for 187 days per year. The average full-time American worker clocks approximately 230. Therefore, most non-teachers do not recognize teaching positions as ‘full-time’ by normal standards. While Joe Citizen is sympathetic to teachers working additional jobs during the school year to supplement income, they are far less sympathetic to teachers taking on summer jobs. After all, teachers are not paid for 12 months of work; teacher salaries are simply divided by 12 to ease the burden of consistent monthly budgeting. At the end of the day, if all teachers looked professional, acted professional, and refined their rhetoric, public perception would improve, and greater support would likely follow.

Citizens of Oklahoma:

“I’m Taxed Too Much Tom”… Yeah you, the one saying “don’t let the door hit you on your way out" (to Texas, Arkansas, Colorado, Missouri, or Kansas) or “time you teachers change your profession”… I have a question for you, Tom. Who do you want to teach your children? If you have no children, who do you want educating your neighbor’s children? Your future community leaders? Your company workers? Who, I ask? Have you ever heard “You get what you pay for”? Oh, I get it. There are some who are overpaid at the current rate. Yes I said it. There are bad teachers, and it’s almost impossible to get rid of them. (See “Teacher Unions” above.) However, the good teachers, which are much higher in number, are underpaid. And better yet, the best-of-the-best are grossly underpaid. And the former two groups are those most likely to leave for better pay. They are capable of making higher wages outside the profession, and it’s not far to cross state lines to make higher wages in the same profession. Our candidate pool in Oklahoma is shrinking. What kind of quality candidates do you expect to get with a shrinking pool from which to pick? In my opinion, public school teachers fall into 4 basic categories:

1) those who have followed their passion; to them, it’s a ministry of sorts; they give it their all and have resigned themselves to live like paupers --- these fall into the minority

2) those who have followed their passion; to them, it’s a ministry of sorts; they give it their all and don’t have to worry about quality of life because they are lucky enough to have a second income (ie: spouse, inheritance, etc.) --- again, these fall into the minority

3) those to whom it is a job; they want to do well but do not want to live like paupers --- the vast majority

4) those who thought the job would be easy, or simply have a pulse, or just want a paycheck, any paycheck --- these are growing in number due to the exodus of the 3s

Which teachers do you want, Tom? The 1s and 2s will likely stick around no matter how sad their paychecks look, but they are low in number. And surely you realize their paychecks have shrunk over the last 10 years, right? With no increase in pay but significant spikes in insurance premiums, the take-home pay isn’t what it use to be. Would you say the cost of living has gone up, too? Do you think they have felt it? The 4s listed above aren’t going anywhere unless the candidate pool deepens. So, how do you suppose we keep and/or recruit the 3s? When it comes to teacher pay, we clearly are not keeping or recruiting since Oklahoma also falls at the bottom of that list.

If you don’t have children in the system, you may not realize the extent of the problem, especially here in Oklahoma. If you do have children in the system, you may not realize the extent of the problem, especially if your children are lucky enough to live in a zip code with “good” schools. If you have made it this far, I hope to have opened your eyes. As citizens, we need to demand more from our elected representatives and local school leadership. They work for us, for our children. We are responsible for holding them accountable and demanding transparency. Admittedly, I can do a better job in this area.

Society at Large:

As an American society, what do we value most? It’s questionable when you look at how we spend our time and money. As parents, do we prepare our kids for each school day in ways that demonstrate the value of a privileged experience? In conversations with our kids, do we illustrate the value through our words? Some families do, but there are many more who pass along their view of school as a chore, something you ‘have to do’ instead of something you ‘get to do’. We have steadily decreased the “value” of education. It’s a “right” verses it’s a “privilege” has its pitfalls. When something is simply handed to us, with no tangible investment required on our part, we are likely to take it for granted. Just ask students who move into our public school system from other countries, countries where education is not freely given. They are shocked at the attitude of American students who, on the whole, clearly have little to no appreciation for what is being afforded them. How do teenagers care for a cellphone they purchase with their own hard-earned money as opposed to one given freely by their parents? There are bigger changes to our system to be considered here.

As for the brokenness, what are you doing to help address the issues facing society at large? Your community? Your neighborhood? The neighborhood on the other side of town? Are you and your family using your time and resources to help others? Could you do more? Schools could use volunteers like you. Young people could use mentors like you.

Pre-closing disclaimer: I strongly support fully funding our public schools and yet currently send my child to private. Why? The answer is simple. Even though I’m lucky enough to live in the best school district in the state, and better yet, my child would likely have a great teacher there… a kindergarten class with 27+ students, even with a rockstar teacher, is no match for a class of 18, taught by a certified teacher, and supported by a highly qualified assistant. I obviously have options inaccessible to many others. I advocate for the others. It’s the reason I chose to teach in a public school.

In closing, I would like to directly address the teacher walkout by simply quoting Frederick Douglass. “The thing worse than rebellion is the thing that causes rebellion.” (Slowly read that again, if needed.)