It must be great to have $3 million stuffed into your office couch cushion.
Because that’s essentially what Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters told us last month when he made the bombshell about allocating $3 million to buy Bibles. And now he’s seeking another $3 million from lawmakers to buy even more.
His dream is to have a hard copy of the Bible on every classroom bookshelf.
My dream is to have experienced, top-notch teachers in every classroom so that every child can read and write in both math and reading.
Of the two, Walters’ dream is probably more achievable.
Perhaps that’s why we spend millions of dollars on the Bible.
A spokesperson for Walters told Oklahoma Watch that the initial $3 million purchase was funded from salary savings from the exodus of Department of Education employees. But whether Walters found the money buried in a canning jar in the state Department of Education’s backyard, received donations from individuals, or pinched pennies to obtain it, the truth is is not a problem.
To put it into context, that $3 million is just a drop in the bucket when you consider the roughly $4 billion that Congress appropriates each year in public school funding.
The problem is that by spending pennies on bizarre religious movements, we once again ignore the giant purple polka-dotted elephant in the room: the fact that student performance is terrible and we can’t get people to work in schools. That means it will happen. school.
What message does this spending send about our education priorities?
For too long, we have heard the excuse from lawmakers that there is no additional funding to meet the basic needs of children.
We’re hearing there’s no appetite to expand free or reduced-price lunches to allow kids to learn on an empty stomach.
Funds to give school employees small stipends to help pay their bills and raise wages for bus drivers so more people want to drive their kids to school and sports days. I heard that there is no.
I also heard that there is no money to increase teachers’ salaries.
Meanwhile, in January, we achieved a new record for first aid teacher certification. This means more people are hiring people without teaching experience in the subject or grade level.
In most places, it’s a flashing neon sign that the teacher shortage is getting worse, and we need to take this issue seriously on Capitol Hill.
At this rate, bookshelves are filled with Bibles, but there are no trained teachers working in those classrooms.
At the end of last school year, my children said a sad goodbye to Mr. Ben, as our family called him. Mr. Ben was a bilingual middle school Spanish teacher in the Oklahoma City area school district. Every day after school, he drove across the subway to increase his pay by working in my children’s after-school care program.
The students adored Mr. Ben, and he adored them in return.
But last spring, suburban school districts in the Dallas area recognized Benn’s greatness and passion for education.
They offered him more money, more resources, and a better quality of life if he would come teach at their school.
He jumped at the opportunity and took his teaching talents elsewhere by the end of the school year.
And I don’t blame him.
I believe there are thousands of Bens teachers working in our schools. But if we don’t develop our best talent and encourage them to stay in the classroom, they won’t be here for long. With states across the country struggling with teacher shortages, there are plenty of job opportunities for even the worst educators. Our school support staff can also find work in other higher paying professions.
But perhaps what disgusts me the most about this whole situation is that Walters has labeled Republican budget leaders as hypocrites who either lie to their faces about the state of their finances or are totally incompetent when it comes to tax oversight. It was potentially exposed as a group.
I don’t know if Walters was cheating them by inflating the budget, or if they’re just not doing their job. Some people seemed as surprised as others to learn of the $3 million expense.
Lawmakers are gatekeepers and hold the purse strings. They should be trying to make sure our tax dollars are spent wisely.
If this is what we’re wasting money on, I would argue that someone isn’t doing their job right now.
The Bible is not a shortcut to solving the complex problems plaguing our education system.
Now, back to my important question. What message do these purchases send?
We are not serious about actually fixing our broken system, and this will not allow us to achieve Governor Kevin Stitt’s goal of being in the top 10 states in education.
If I’m wrong, Republican leaders will prove it to me. But until then, I’ll be waiting, just like the kids and the teachers.
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