Oklahoma Budget Crisis

[caojyn]

We should definitely pay teachers more

 

[Sanford]

I spent 20 years in the army before I ever started teaching. My wife and sister teach in Lawton, too. I am not going to call BS on your claims, but you should know better.

Thanks for that. So, are teachers underpaid? At many levels yes, but once the benefits are included not nearly so much as a simple salary comparison might make it appear. The same could be said about military salaries and benefits which IMHO are also much lower than they should be, especially for lower enlisted grades. In any case I guess we can all take comfort in knowing that as soon as the $15 minimum wage takes effect tax revenues will go up, even though pretty much everyone will be poorer on a very practical level.

 

[Sanford]

We should definitely pay teachers more

.

 

[Pokinfun]

Thanks for that. So, are teachers underpaid? At many levels yes, but once the benefits are included not nearly so much as a simple salary comparison might make it appear. The same could be said about military salaries and benefits which IMHO are also much lower than they should be, especially for lower enlisted grades. In any case I guess we can all take comfort in knowing that as soon as the $15 minimum wage takes effect tax revenues will go up, even though pretty much everyone will be poorer on a very practical level.

Minimum wage going up will only cause unemployment, nothing more. I am not sure teachers are underpaid, at least by very much. However, I do believe classrooms are underfunded.

 

[LightningCrash]

Minimum wage going up will only cause unemployment, nothing more. I am not sure teachers are underpaid, at least by very much. However, I do believe classrooms are underfunded.

How much unemployment did it create the couple of last times it went up? Or when it was first created?

 

[Sanford]

Minimum wage going up will only cause unemployment, nothing more. I am not sure teachers are underpaid, at least by very much. However, I do believe classrooms are underfunded.

Actually it will - due to the ladder effect. When minimum wage goes up, the person in charge of the minimum workers has to have an increase to still be making more than the people he's in charge of - albeit at generally lower percentage than was the minimum wage increase. This happens all the way up the ladder with each level getting, generally, a slightly lower percentage increase than the one below, until a point is reached that the next level up is still making more than those below. So in addition to increased poverty by people being out of a job there's also increased "poverty level" employment by many now making proportionally closer to the minimum wage. Another result is that people with fixed resources - those on disability, retirees, pensioners, etc. - also end up hurt as their income will not increase by the same percentage as the minimum wage goes up, if it goes up at all. Some won't, and those that do are generally tied to a nebulous "cost of living" increase that both fails to reflect actual marketplace cost increases but also lags them by months to years. Not that it matters, it's the apple on the end of the stick that gets the "gimme" vote so it's going to happen and keep happening.

 

[Grendel]

So, which one of our moron politicians is talking about getting our schools into the top 10 of schools across the nation? Does anybody have a plan to accomplish that? Or are we going to be content to move from 50th place to 49th place?

 

[Sanford]

OFFICE OF GOVERNOR MARY FALLIN
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2016
2017 Fiscal Year Budget Agreement Reached

OKLAHOMA CITY - Governor Mary Fallin, Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman and House Speaker Jeffrey W. Hickman today reached a 2017 fiscal year budget agreement that maintains common education funding at current levels, averts closures of hospitals and nursing homes and closes $969.3 million of the $1.3 billion budget gap policymakers faced this legislative session.

If passed by the Legislature, the agreement would set FY 2017 appropriation levels at $6.78 billion, which is $360.7 million, or 5 percent, less than FY 2016 appropriations prior to the midyear revenue failure and $67.8 million, or 1 percent, less than FY 2016 appropriations as adjusted by the midyear revenue failure.

The $1.3 billion budget hole was the largest in state history. Facing that gap, public schools braced for state aid reductions of up to 20 percent and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority had prepared to initiate provider rate cuts of up to 25 percent, which would have caused some hospitals and nursing homes statewide to close or dramatically reduce services.

“Thankfully, those worst-case scenarios can be averted by passing this budget,” said Governor Mary Fallin. “This agreement closes a sizeable portion of a monumental budget hole and prevents the dire, unacceptable outcomes so many Oklahomans have feared may happen this session. There are still reductions in this budget, and it requires more hard votes to pass, but it is certainly a workable budget even amid a major energy sector downturn that is creating difficulties all across Oklahoma. We worked hard to protect key core services - common education, health and human services, corrections, mental health services and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority – while keeping our eight-year transportation infrastructure plan intact.”

By freeing up revenues through tax reform, structural budget changes and cuts elsewhere in government, current funding levels for the State Department of Education are maintained and an additional $83.8 million is appropriated to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, which will result in negligible provider rate reductions of 3 percent or less that should not cause closures of facilities or reductions of services.

Most agency appropriation reductions from FY 2016 as adjusted by the midyear revenue failure to FY 2017 range from less than 1 percent to 10 percent, with many agencies receiving an approximately 5 percent appropriation reduction for FY 2017.

The agreement maintains existing funding at the Department of Corrections by annualizing the department’s FY 2016 supplemental appropriation of $27.6 million and making no further changes. It also protects critical safety net programs by providing a $16.3 million, or 2.6 percent, appropriation increase to the Department of Human Services that fully funds the Pinnacle Plan and helps maintain other important services.

The Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services receives a $6.9 million, or 2.2 percent, appropriation increase to offset some reductions caused by the midyear FY 2016 revenue failure.

Budget negotiators said more than $2 billion in revenue ideas were considered this session. Some are contained in the agreement, and some were not for a variety of reasons.

“The absence of various revenue measures required deeper reductions to higher education and transportation in order to avoid truly unacceptable funding levels for K-12 schools and hospitals,” said Secretary of Finance, Administration and Information Technology Preston L. Doerflinger. “Transportation and higher education have superior financial positions compared to the rest of government and can absorb reductions far better than common education and health care could. In fact, transportation has said no projects will be significantly altered under this plan, and higher education has already implemented several cost-cutting measures in anticipation of reduced funding. These were difficult decisions, but they had to be made when faced with a challenge of this magnitude.”

Legislative leaders said the agreement can be passed through the Legislature by Friday’s 5 p.m. constitutional deadline to adjourn Sine Die.

Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa, said: “For months, the public has been concerned about the possibility of four-day school weeks and mass closings at rural hospitals and nursing homes because of drastic budget cuts. The budget agreement is a practical solution that closes the shortfall while avoiding extreme cuts and worst-case scenarios in our schools, our hospitals and nursing homes.”

House Speaker Jeffrey W. Hickman, R-Fairview, said: “This agreement fully reflects the House Republican priority to see that schools are protected, hospitals stay open and road projects stay on track. It is a balanced approach that reins in tax breaks, responsibly bonds long-term infrastructure and causes agencies to make the difficult spending reductions necessary in a historic oil bust. House members worked harder than ever this session to find conservative solutions to the greatest budget challenge of our generation and we have those solutions in this agreement. We committed months ago to leading our state out of this hole and now we must be committed to seeing this budget through to the finish line.”

Links:
FY 2017 budget agreement spreadsheet
FY 2017 budget agreement summary

 

[Sanford]

And there you have it.
Oklahoma State Department of Education
Joy Hofmeister
State Superintendent of Public Instruction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Hofmeister praises FY 2017 budget as "herculean"

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister released this statement today in response to the proposed common education budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2016:

“We are deeply grateful that in the proposed budget, common education funding will be held flat next fiscal year. This was a herculean effort on the part of Gov. Fallin and legislative leadership – particularly President Pro Tempore Bingman, Speaker Hickman, Sen. Jolley, Rep. Sears, Sen. Halligan and Rep. Martin – one we realize means greater sacrifices and deeper cuts for other vital agencies. We know this has been a difficult session for lawmakers, and we greatly appreciate their commitment to making hard decisions and doing everything they can to protect our kids. This budget represents a best-case scenario as we plan for the next school year and continue to work together to maximize educational outcomes for Oklahoma schoolchildren.”

 

[Frederick]

Oklahoma lawmakers want to boost funding for legislative services by $4 million even as they cut appropriations for most other agencies.

Under a budget proposal making its way through the Legislature, funding for the Legislative Service Bureau, which does research and provides computer services for lawmakers, would grow to $13.89 million per year.​

http://m.newsok.com/most-agencies-see-cuts-with-one-big-exception/article/5500293?rotator=true

Wow. These ****ing people.