Schools Are Rolling in Dough

   Headlines in today's newspapers read: State returns cash to agencies, leading readers to believe that our Oklahoma state agencies, whose funding was taken by the Oklahoma Legislature in February, will now be flush with revenue. State agencies such as the Department of Human Services and the Department of public education may receive $4.2 million and $7.2 million back, respectively. Many readers of this news may believe that our legislator gutted state agencies are now rolling in dough, and should not be cutting services to stay afloat. For our public schools and DHS, however, this is exactly what those who wish to see an end to public education (voucher and privatization proponents) want them to believe.
   Schools may receive approximately $10 per student back, which was already budgeted when it was taken away. If and when schools receive this windfall, they'll use it to pay bills, some of which have been due since February, - or use it for next year's textbooks and other student supplies. Many voucher and privatization proponents in the legislature will say that schools now have enough money to provide teacher pay raises. This is, however, just one more scheme to drive a wedge between our teachers and the public schools where they work...