YOUR VIEWS
Students’ passion impressive
Regarding the letter by Jim Davis (Your Views, March 4): The students of Parkland and any American school have the right to speak out on the issue of gun safety, and have proved themselves to be articulate, intelligent future voters and taxpayers. As a retired teacher, one of my greatest moments with students was seeing them be able to converse with confidence and passion about events that mattered to them. Gun violence and our government's failure to address the issue certainly matters to the students. I applaud their passion and will support them at the walk on March 24. These kids can teach all of us something!
Jamie Brewster, Oklahoma City
Reduce administrative waste
Politicians, teachers and fellow voters: Your constituents, employers and neighbors are watching with complete frustration on how we continually have a “problem” with education funding. Pass the lottery, they said, education will be rolling in funds. Raise property taxes, they said. Now with teachers wanting a raise, which “tax” do think will be raised next? How about instead of raising taxes we eliminate wasteful spending and redirect the funds that already exist?
Start by consolidating districts to no more than one per county. Calling for district consolidation is not calling for school closure. Small towns can keep their community, but their school administration would now be consolidated to a central office in each county.
I further propose any counties that have fewer than 1,000 students must share administration with a neighboring county. Do we really need a superintendent and support staff for more than 500 school districts in Oklahoma?
The “wink and nod” method of continuing to throw dollar after dollar at education does not work! Voters should oppose all increases in education spending until district consolidation is on the table. This includes opposing the proposed teacher strike (which by the way is against state law) unless the teachers and their union step up to the plate and endorse district consolidation to eliminate the administrative waste.
Ryan Breding, Oklahoma City