Oklahoma Budget Passes Senate, Some Important Highlights

Capitol Considerations 

by Senator Micheal Bergstrom

      

Budget Reflects Education Spending Increase

Less than 16 months ago the state of Oklahoma was facing a billion dollar revenue shortfall. Much of our time in the Senate was spent searching for a way to pay the state’s bills. One of my top priorities during my campaign had been to push for a teacher pay raise. I filed a bill to that effect, but as our budget numbers got worse, just keeping education from taking a budget cut became the immediate priority.

On the Senate floor on Wednesday, April 25, we passed the budget for fiscal year 2019. Revenue measures that were passed this session and the fact that our state’s economy has now recovered from the most recent recession put us in a position to give teachers the largest pay raise in state history and increase funding to the Department of Education by almost 20 percent, making this by far the largest education budget in state history. Fifty-one percent of appropriated dollars go to common education.

For the Republican caucus, this is a major success.

For Oklahoma’s children, this is important.

We once again made textbooks a line item. We raised the salaries of education support personnel. We expanded our funding for high school students who concurrently enroll in higher education.

We have accomplished much in this budget.

In addition, there is:
· $24.6 million funding increase for the Department of Human Services (DHS), which makes the Pinnacle Plan “whole.” (Hopefully moving us forward to the point where we can be released from court oversight.) This includes the following:

ü 7 percent increase for Medicaid Advantage waiver, Developmental Disability and Group Home rate increases

ü 5 percent increase on foster care and adoption rates

ü $2 million increase for the DDSD wait list (which will provide services for approximately 170 people)

· $11 million in criminal justice reform initiatives:

ü $5 million to Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

ü $1.1 million to Oklahoma Indigent Defense System (OIDS)

ü $1 million to District Attorney’s Council

· $2 million for agency performance audits conducted by Agency Performance and Accountability Commission

· $4.8 million to Department of Corrections to implement an electronic offender management system

· $4 million to Office of Emergency Management for disaster relief (which includes $400,000 to Department of Agriculture for rural fire fighters)

When I found out the Department of Libraries had lost more than $140,000 this year because of federal claw-backs and loss of matching funds, I requested a $125,000 budget increase which should result in the Department picking up an additional $150,000 in federal matching grants. That was added to the budget.

As mentioned earlier, we have budgeted $2 million for forensic audits of state agencies. This is important. The plan is to audit every agency with a forensic audit about once every four or five years. We need to find out where waste exists and get rid of it. This is an important step forward.

The budget now goes to the House.

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Oklahoma Teacher Pay Ranks 12th in Nation, Education Remains Top Priority

    Oklahoma's teachers' average pay package (including benefits) is now the highest in the region when cost of living is taken into consideration, second highest when cost of living is not a consideration. Here is a chart that spells out the real facts. Depending on how you look at the numbers, Oklahoma's teacher pay package is now either 11th, 12th or 13th in the nation.
     The Oklahoma Republican Senate Caucus is committed to developing a long-range plan for education, perhaps something like the 8-year plan that has helped us make outstanding progress in repairing and replacing the state's highways and bridges.
   

Sources:
Teacher Salary: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d17/tables/dt17_211.60.asp?current=yes
(NCES source was National Education Association, Estimates of School Statistics. )

Cost of Living: https://www.missourieconomy.org/indicators/cost_of_living/index.stm 

Per Capita Income: https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/spi/2018/spi0318.htm    

Oklahoma Education Budget Fully Funded, Here's The Numbers. ALL Recurring revenue.

     The Oklahoma common education budget has been passed by the legislature and signed by the governor.
     Some have been claiming the budget increases are not fully funded. That is demonstrably not true.  This is ALL recurring revenue.
     Here are the numbers.

Oklahoma's Education Funding Highest In State History

Oklahoma's Common Education Budget    Largest In State History By Nearly $400

by State Senator Micheal Bergstrom

Properly funding common education and getting our public school teachers a significant pay increase has been my top priority since taking office. What we in the legislature passed last week accomplishes much of that. 

That does not mean we are through working to improve matters even more, but that is something which will be our focus beginning next session.

As you can see from the attached FY '19 Education funding graphic from the Oklahoma State School Board Association, we have increased the education budget by 19 percent, are providing the largest amount of state aid per weighted student ever, have the largest common education budget ever, beating the next highest budget by nearly $400 million.

We also gave the largest teacher pay raise in state history, making us the 12th highest teacher salary in the nation.

Now the legislature must move on to other priorities.

I appreciate the concerns of my constituents, including teachers and administrators, about the future of education in our state. With the bold steps we took last week we are creating a path for the future.

I look forward to our making even more progress together in the coming years.

Teacher Walkout At Oklahoma Capitol

Capitol Considerations 

by Senator Micheal Bergstrom

      

Teachers Descend On Capitol, What I Told Them

I admit it, I urged teachers to return to the classroom and take care of their students.

On Monday, teachers from across Oklahoma came to the State Capitol. Some came to thank legislators for passing major education legislation. Many, however, came to express their demands for more tax increases and education funding.

I met with a large group of educators in the early afternoon.

Here’s a brief summary of what was discussed during that 45 or 50 minute gathering.

I was asked if I support education and teachers.

I pointed out that I spent around 20 years in the classroom, that one of my campaign promises was to fight for a teacher raise, and one of my first bills was for a teacher raise. I have repeatedly voted for tax increases to fund education and raises. I and many of my fellow freshman Senators refused to approve last year’s budget bill unless common education was held harmless.

I think that demonstrates where I stand.

What about the hotel tax?

I said it would be repealed and we are already setting things in place to replace those funds, and not by cutting other agencies.

Is the teacher pay raise being cut?

No. The education budget has been signed by the Governor.

Will there be more funding for education?

Not much this session.  But the Senate Republican caucus and I are committed to developing a long range plan for education and its funding. I am certainly open to suggestions on that.

Would I support more tax increases?

No. I am interested in getting rid of wasteful tax credits.

And, in my opinion, we are done raising taxes in the Senate.

What about funds for leaking roofs or dilapidated buildings?

I pointed out those things are not state funded, but capital expenditures paid for with local ad valorem dollars and bond issues.

I was chastised for suggesting in my previous column that some teachers were threatening to extend the teacher walkout to push a political agenda. I heard declarations that those present were all there for the children.

As I looked around the room I said that I hoped that was true, that no one in that room had anything but the best interests of the kids at heart, but if they’d read my emails or heard the phone calls we get they’d know that isn’t the case with everyone.

One teacher told me that if we didn’t redo our legislation and raise more taxes that she would continue the walkout, and others seemed to feel the same way.

Then I was asked why I was doing nothing to help end the walkout.

Nothing?

Allow me to restate clearly what I told this group of teachers.

We just passed the first revenue bill in the Oklahoma legislature since State Question 640, which requires 75 percent votes in both chambers, was passed in 1992. We passed the largest teacher pay raise in the history of Oklahoma. It ranges from $5,000 to $8,000 and averages $6,100. We protected textbook funds. We guaranteed raises to support staff even though support staff salaries are determined by local school boards and not the legislature. We filled an education budget hole of over $50 million. We increased taxes a half billion dollars with recurring revenue for now and into the future.

I think I have done quite a lot for education, and I intend to do even more.

I also think any further walkout is pointless. When asked what I thought teachers who are planning to continue their walkout should do, I said they should return to their classrooms and take care of their students.

Apparently, to some, that is a rude and outrageous statement.

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