Tulsa Public Schools Spending

[Townsend]

I had no idea 51% of our state expenditures was for education, that actually sounds like a good amount of a state's budget to me.

So what do you do when you have issues like higher insurance costs to account for?  By covering those instead of passing the increase to the teacher, it's a compensation increase any way you look at it.

You look at a bigger picture.  This isn't a story of just teacher compensation.

I can only guess why this is happening in Oklahoma.  The less knowledgeable a populace is, the easier it is to control.

Thus we have Bridenstine, Mullen, Kern, Fallin, etc. in office and it keeps the circle going.

[patric]

Study finds Oklahoma worst in the nation with decline in education funding for local schools

http://www.kjrh.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/Study-finds-Oklahoma-worst-in-the-nation-with-decline-in-education-funding-for-local-schools

Hey, she's doing the best she can.  Keeping Sharia Law and health insurance reform at bay eats up a lot of resources, dont'cha know.

[AquaMan]

So, the 51% of expenditures was not really well defined. What expenditures? Just like the budget figure that did not include "other" sources of revenue like property taxes.

Just call me skeptical of a state legislature that promised increased revenues going to education from legalizing gambling and lotteries, then reduced the amount of other revenue sources used for education. Net result was less revenue for education.

[RecycleMichael]

I had no idea 51% of our state expenditures was for education, that actually sounds like a good amount of a state's budget to me.

Yes. But 40% of that amount goes to higher education. We spend too much money on universities and community colleges and not enough on elementary education.

[Conan71]

Yes. But 40% of that amount goes to higher education. We spend too much money on universities and community colleges and not enough on elementary education.

If we re-jiggered that to 30% to higher ed and 70% to primary and secondary, then the complaint would become that we don't spend enough on colleges and universities.

Personally, I believe higher education is extremely important to attracting young professionals who will want to stay in the area.  I also believe though that our state college system has entirely too many campuses which results in much higher operating costs than we really need to be spending.

[Townsend]

If we re-jiggered that to 30% to higher ed and 70% to primary and secondary, then the complaint would become that we don't spend enough on colleges and universities.

The complaint would remain the same. 

"Study finds Oklahoma worst in the nation with decline in education funding for local schools"

[AquaMan]

How would we be able to afford Stoops? Or that Aggie?

It needs re jiggered alright but more to the tune of 30% in primary, 30% in secondary and 35% in college level with a real increase in per student expenditures.  Then the remaining 5% as incentives going to those programs who don't have a Stoops type expense. And no, I don't care that much of those football expenses are underwritten by private interests. They could just as well underwrite the debate team.

note: On second reading it appears Conan and I are quite close except for about 5% and reality based accounting for per pupil expenditure.

[swake]

If we re-jiggered that to 30% to higher ed and 70% to primary and secondary, then the complaint would become that we don't spend enough on colleges and universities.

Personally, I believe higher education is extremely important to attracting young professionals who will want to stay in the area.  I also believe though that our state college system has entirely too many campuses which results in much higher operating costs than we really need to be spending.

We have 50! campuses (and that's counting TCC and the like as 1 single campus)
Cameron University, Duncan
Cameron University, Lawton
Carl Albert State College, Poteau
Carl Albert State College, Sallisaw
Connors State College, Muskogee
Connors State College, Warner
East Central University, Ada
Eastern Oklahoma State College, McAlester
Eastern Oklahoma State College, Wilburton
Langston University, Langston
Langston University, Oklahoma City
Langston University, Tulsa
Murray State College, Tishomingo
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, Miami
Northeastern State University, Broken Arrow
Northeastern State University, Muskogee
Northeastern State University, Tahlequah
Northern Oklahoma College, Enid
Northern Oklahoma College, Stillwater
Northern Oklahoma College, Tonkawa
Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Alva
Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Enid
Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Woodward
OKC Downtown College, Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City Community College, Oklahoma City
Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Goodwell
Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City
Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa
Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology, Okmulgee
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
Oklahoma State University-Tulsa
Redlands Community College, El Reno
Rogers State University, Bartlesville
Rogers State University, Claremore
Rogers State University, Pryor
Rose State College, Midwest City
Seminole State College, Seminole
Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Durant
Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Idabel
Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Sayre
Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Weatherford
Tulsa Community College, Tulsa
University Center at Ponca City, Ponca City
University Center of Southern Oklahoma, Ardmore
University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City
University of Oklahoma, Norman
University of Oklahoma-Tulsa
University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma, Chickasha
Western Oklahoma State College, Altus

That serve 40 cities (and somehow with all of this Tulsa STILL can't get a full University)
Ada
Altus
Alva
Ardmore
Bartlesville
Broken Arrow
Chickasha
Claremore
Duncan
Durant
Edmond
El Reno
Enid x2
Goodwell
Idabel
Langston
Lawton
McAlester
Miami
Midwest City
Muskogee x2
Norman
Oklahoma City x5
Okmulgee
Ponca City
Poteau
Pryor
Sallisaw
Sayre
Seminole
Stillwater
Stillwater
Tahlequah
Tishomingo
Tonkawa
Tulsa x5
Warner
Weatherford
Wilburton
Woodward

[rdj]

So, what you're saying is we have a revenue problem not an expense problem?

Maybe lowering the personal income tax to zero isn't such a great idea.

[swake]

So, what you're saying is we have a revenue problem not an expense problem?

Maybe lowering the personal income tax to zero isn't such a great idea.

It can work if you replace the taxes with other taxes, which we are not doing.

[Conan71]

College tuition certainly hasn't gone down any.

[heironymouspasparagus]

So, the 51% of expenditures was not really well defined. What expenditures? Just like the budget figure that did not include "other" sources of revenue like property taxes.

Just call me skeptical of a state legislature that promised increased revenues going to education from legalizing gambling and lotteries, then reduced the amount of other revenue sources used for education. Net result was less revenue for education.

And yet, the 30% high school dropout rate in this state keeps on putting the same kind of people in office....

Just like they believed "Right to Work" would create "more jobs, and higher pay"....

[sauerkraut]

Actually our schools nation wide are bad, we fall far behind in scores on a world wide basis. We also have some of the most expensive schools in the world and they churn out kids who can't even read a tape measure.

[Townsend]

Actually our schools nation wide are bad, we fall far behind in scores on a world wide basis. We also have some of the most expensive schools in the world and they churn out kids who can't even read a tape measure.

English or metric?

[heironymouspasparagus]

So, the 51% of expenditures was not really well defined. What expenditures? Just like the budget figure that did not include "other" sources of revenue like property taxes.

Just call me skeptical of a state legislature that promised increased revenues going to education from legalizing gambling and lotteries, then reduced the amount of other revenue sources used for education. Net result was less revenue for education.

Yeah....and every single other state in the union that had done the lottery thing before us had done the same thing - they NEVER promised MORE money - they just said that some of the proceeds would go to schools.  Big difference.  And this information was available before the election.  It was NEVER about more money for schools - it was about getting a new source of income so the legislature could pull some more good old fashioned pork out of their donkey's for their good buddies.  Remember how the promise was to take the tolls off the turnpikes....?  And the remaining $1 billion + in debt that still exists today.  And only certain people can buy the bonds?