Being Agile in education and the workplace means being able to adjust and adapt to change.

Bergstrom attends 

‘Age of Agility’ Summit in OKC

OKLAHOMA CITY - State Senator Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, attended the Age of Agility Summit in Oklahoma City on August 30, joining business, education and policy leaders to hear insights and perspectives on what the future of work looks like in the current age of education and careers.

“Modern technology often forces radical shifts in the workforce, so it is imperative students are equipped to meet those challenges and utilize the rapidly changing tools needed in their chosen careers,” said Bergstrom. “In this modern Age of Agility similar to a renewed Industrial Revolution, leaders are now calling for changes in education that rise up and meet the new challenging forces in the economy.”

“For too long, Oklahoma has lagged behind much of the rest of the nation in getting our students prepared to enter the workforce, to excel in the marketplace,” Bergstrom said. “This past session with the education funding package we passed, we sent a clear message to our citizens and to business around the nation and the world that Oklahoma is taking education seriously. Now we need to continue that process, and part of what needs to be done is adjusting our education system to train students for quality jobs today and into the future.

“The Age of Agility Summit was an opportunity to meet with business and education leaders and discuss how we can get there,” Bergstrom stated.

This week’s event in Oklahoma City, sponsored by Oklahoma Achieves, America Succeeds and the U.S. Chamber Foundation, provided a discussion platform for restructuring the delivery of education, including crowdsource strategies and inventive solutions within Oklahoma as well as across the nation. The summit events were focused on improving the education-to-employment pipeline, while crafting strategies to modernize education, training and workforce preparedness.

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Cutline: Pictured at the Age of Agility Summit in Oklahoma City are Executive Director of Oklahoma Achieves Jennifer Monies and State Senator Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair.

Bergstrom Joins Adair Firm Welcoming Georgian Ambassador

Bergstrom joins Trécé in welcoming 

Georgia Ambassador to Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY - State Senator Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, was recently joined by Trécé executives to welcome David Bakradze, Ambassador of Georgia to the United States, to Oklahoma earlier this summer. 

Bergstrom said Trécé was celebrating the expansion of its corporate facility as well as the success of their growing relationship with the Republic of Georgia.  The company’s involvement in Georgia was initially launched with the purchase and shipment of Trécé’s Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) lure and traps.  This was made possible by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA), which is a global group implementing a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) project in Georgia.  Trécé sponsored a group of scientists earlier this year to study the BMSB infestation in Georgia and helped the nation salvage a crop from insect destruction by using the company’s environmentally friendly product.

"Trécé is a prime example of American innovation and entrepreneurship. Their products are used around the world and are making the lives of many more prosperous and secure,” said Bergstrom.   "It was a great privilege for me to join the company in its celebration of its success so far and to meet and welcome the Georgian Ambassador."

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Cutline:  Pictured from left to right are Bill Lingren, President and CEO of Trécé, Inc; Sen. Micheal Bergstrom; Brock Bierman, USAID Assistant Ambassador; and Ambassador David Bakradze, Ambassador of Georgia to the United States.

Remembering What We Celebrate on July 4

Capitol Considerations 

by Senator Micheal Bergstrom

Remembering What We Celebrate on July 4

Independence Day.

It’s a great time to hang out with the family, to shoot off some fireworks, get the grill going and barbecue some burgers, hot dogs and corn.

But how much time do we spend really thinking about what the Fourth of July is all about?

After all, when you think about it, on July 4, 1776, we were a bunch of British colonies that were fed up with England and the way King George and Parliament were treating us. Sure we were saying we wanted to go our own way, but the battle for freedom from England was going to take years.

Yet we celebrate the date we give for our Declaration of Independence.

Why?

Shouldn’t we celebrate the British surrender by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis in Yorktown, Virginia on October 19, 1781 instead?

No.

Because what we celebrate is not a battle, not a victory, but a set of ideals that are the foundation of our nation.

When Abraham Lincoln penned the Gettysburg Address, he didn’t reference the constitution or the Bill of Rights as he set forth his proposition that all men are created equal and that this experiment known as the United States of America was in a battle for its very existence.

He declared, “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

Standing there on that podium at the dedication of the cemetery in Gettysburg, he was humbled by the sacrifice of those who had died there in that great battle and he directed the attention of his audience to 87 years earlier, to the Declaration of Independence.

He called on those who heard his words or read his words to recommit themselves to the preservation of this nation, and to do so, in part, by trusting in God.

“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

When Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech a century later, he did so on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., and while his words echoed President Lincoln when he declared, “Five score years ago a great American in whose symbolic shadow we stand today signed the Emancipation Proclamation,” he didn’t stop there, but likewise went on to reference the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

When Dr. King said, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal," he was calling for the fulfillment of the promissory note that every American finds in the Declaration of Independence.

We are created equal.

We are not equal because our government says we are.

We are not equal because that is how we wish it to be.

We are equal, as Lincoln and Dr. King and Jefferson knew, because our God created us equal in His sight, and it is therefore for every nation “Under God” to see that its citizens are respected and treated with that in mind.

It was because of the unfair and unequal treatment of the colonies in America that they banded together and had Thomas Jefferson pen the Declaration, announcing the creation of this new nation, this experiment that has lasted for 242 years, the greatest, most generous, most powerful country in the world.

Jefferson wrote,

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Notice that it is Nature’s God, our Creator, that Jefferson points to as foundational in understanding how we should act in relation to each other as individuals, citizens and nations, and that it is Him that has endowed us with our unalienable rights.

As we celebrate this wonderful holiday, maybe as we’re sitting down with family and friends, it would be a good idea to talk about what we’re celebrating, the reason for the barbecue and fireworks, maybe pull up a copy of the Declaration of Independence on a tablet and read it to each other. Then while we’re at it, it might be a good idea to thank our Creator, the one that Jefferson and Lincoln and Dr. King kept talking about, for this great nation, our blessings, and for His protection and guidance of us and this republic, this magnificent experiment in Liberty and Freedom, the United States of America.

American Legion Boys State Forum, Hosted by NEO A&M

Bergstrom participates 

in Boys State forum

OKLAHOMA CITY –   State Senator Micheal Bergstrom and several of his fellow legislators attended the annual American Legion Boys State Legislative Forum this week, held at the NEO A&M campus in Miami on Wednesday, May 30.

Bergstrom was joined by State Representatives Mike Sanders, Scott Fetgatter, Ben Loring, as well as State Senator J.J. Dossett for the annual political roundtable discussion to address issues, ideology and the importance of being an educated and fact-based voter.

The Adair lawmaker said Wednesday’s event included several activities, including ceremonies for the nightly retreat and the lowering of the American flag before hearing the newly elected Governor of Boys State deliver his State of the State address.  The group later moved into the forum portion of the evening.

“I enjoyed spending Wednesday evening with the young men taking part in this year's American Legion Oklahoma Boys State program,” Bergstrom said.  “During the legislative portion of the program, I appreciated the opportunity to share the stage with my colleagues and witness these young leaders from across the state come together to learn what's involved in government and governing.”

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Please contact Sen. Micheal Bergstrom at 405-521-5561 or bergstrom@oksenate.gov for more information.

 Sen. Micheal Bergstrom (standing) addresses members of the American Legion Oklahoma Boys State in Miami at NEO A&M on Wednesday, May 30.  Also pictured is Rep. Ben Loring (seated).

Adult Literacy Program Deserves Praise, Bergstrom Talks Education

Capitol Considerations 

by Senator Micheal Bergstrom

Last week I was asked to speak to an adult literacy program at the Miami Public Library about my experience as an English teacher and the importance of reading.

I began by pointing out that it was about 20 years ago I went to work teaching English at Bluejacket High School, a job I held until my election to the Senate in 2016.

Here’s what we did in my classroom most every day.

We read. We read aloud. We read plays, short stories, novels, poetry, essays, biographies, historical documents and speeches. We used supplemental materials to assist in understanding what was read. Then my students had writing assignments. Lots of writing assignments on what we read, as well as creative writing and essays.

I assigned no busy work.

We read. Then they tested on what we read, as well as on grammar terms, literary elements and vocabulary. We did this every week.

After a while students began coming back to tell me and other students that my classes had more than prepared them for college.

Naturally, as an English teacher, I wanted my students to do well in the subject area, but even more important to me was my desire for my students to do well in life, and being able to read and write well could make their lives better.

Literacy opens doors to new possibilities and to career advancement. Reading expands your knowledge and learning to read critically helps you to gain wisdom. Research has demonstrated that reading over extended periods helps you to remain focused and concentrate on things better, which is especially important in our media-immersed culture. So, it should be no surprise that people who read are more likely to be civically involved and to vote.

As you master these skills, which are foundational for success in other areas of study, they become the bedrock for a brighter, more successful and more personally fulfilling future.

Programs like the one in Miami are changing people’s lives for the better.

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CUTLINE: Senator Micheal Bergstrom was the speaker at the Miami Public Library Adult Literacy Program's appreciation ceremony for tutors and students on Friday, May 18, 2018.

Oklahoma Legislation Update Part 1

Capitol Considerations 

by Senator Micheal Bergstrom

Miracle at the Capitol, For Now

In a period of just over 15 months, we had two regular legislative sessions and two special sessions, with the second special session continuing on concurrently during most of the last regular session. At times it felt like we were permanently stuck in Oklahoma City. What a mess. But then a miracle happened. According to the state constitution, we had to wrap up our session by the last Friday in May, the 25^th. We finished up three weeks early.

So, what did we accomplish during the last few months at the Capitol?

The big item, of course, was the teacher pay raise and the common education budget. Those two things and the revenue sources for them were set in place before the teacher walkout ever began. We were able to approve the largest teacher pay increase in our state’s history, as well as fund a pay raise for state employees, many of whom have gone nearly a decade without a pay increase. Textbooks are back to being a line item in the budget. Common education is getting a 19 percent increase in the next budget (which means it receives 52 percent of appropriated dollars in the state budget) and more students will be able to enroll concurrently in high school and college courses since we bumped that funding up by 500 percent.

Of course we had matters other than education we needed to focus on. I’ll touch on some here and then cover more in a future column.

Something I hope will help us rein in spending at state agencies is a system for forensic audits of agencies that we put in place and began funding. The commission in charge of this will be answerable to the legislature so we can search out areas of waste.

I am looking forward to taking a good hard look at the spending at the State Department of Education.

The Department of Human Services will see a $24.6 million funding increase and a fully funded Pinnacle Plan, with a 7 percent increase for Medicaid Advantage waivers, and Developmental Disability and Group Home rate increases. The agency will also see a 5 percent increase on foster care and adoption rates and $2 million increase for the Developmental Disabilities Services Division (DDSD) wait list.

This is very important for service providers like Home of Hope in my district.

The Office of Emergency Management will be given $4 million for disaster relief, while the Department of Agriculture will receive $400,000 for rural firefighters.

Criminal justice needed our attention, especially with our prisons currently at 114 percent capacity. Senate Bill 1600 allocates $11 million in criminal justice reform initiatives, including $5 million to the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, $1.1 million to Oklahoma Indigent Defense System (OIDS) and $1 million to the District Attorney’s Council. There is also $4.8 million going to the Department of Corrections (ODOC) to implement an electronic offender management system.

We’re looking for common-sense solutions to help us better address Oklahoma’s prison overcrowding by finding better ways to hold nonviolent offenders responsible. We worked on adjusting sentencing guidelines. Slowing prison population growth will allow the state to save hundreds of millions of dollars that can be redirected to education, health care, mental health services and other crucial programs.

We passed a bond issue for ODOC to make major repairs on some facilities. One facility, because of maintenance expenses, averages about $40,000 per inmate annually while the prison system overall averages under $20,000 to house inmates. The repairs should help significantly lower that first number.

We also approved a package of budget limit measures to ensure legislative oversight of agency spending. It is my hope we will be doing more and more budget limit measures and line item controls to keep agency heads from playing games with their budgets.

The budget is balanced, putting the state in its strongest fiscal position in recent history.

For now anyway.

But you remember that miracle where we finished the session early? Well, I hear there might be some folks who hope to throw the budget under the bus, maybe with a petition initiative, and so maybe it won’t be all that long before we’re back in Oklahoma City fixing another fine mess.

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Senator Bergstrom's Bills On Governor's Desk

Capitol Considerations 

by Senator Micheal Bergstrom

Legislative Update from Your Senator

Every session legislators file bills they hope to see become law.  This year, as the Senate author, I had a number of bills that have done just that.

There were, of course, some bills that did not make it to the Governor’s desk.  So first let me describe one bill that died then I’ll talk about some that survived.

Imagine you were in a profession that Oklahoma decided to begin licensing, but after the legislation was passed you were never notified that you now needed a license to operate your business, then the deadline for being grandfathered in passes and you might have to close up shop. Well, that is exactly what happened to thousands of massage therapists.

My bill, Senate Bill (SB) 1063, was originally intended to fix that issue, but then I was contacted by law enforcement, a massage therapist organization, the licensing board, and the human trafficking task force. They wanted to make sure there was language in the bill to help keep prostitution and the human trafficking, which often accompanies it, out of facilities that offer massage therapy.

We had a great bill because all those interested parties worked together with me on it. Then it bogged down in the House. Rep. Charles Ortega and I are committed to getting the bill through next year.

Now on to the living.  So far the Governor has signed six of my bills and I have two more pending. Here’s the ones that have been signed so far.

SB 1089 deals with oversize and overweight permits for transporting extra large loads on state highways, and SB 1114 requires the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) to protect the highway corridors that those extra large loads are transported over. These bills were important for bringing manufacturers into the state who were hesitant about relocating here because our legislation was outdated compared to almost every state in the nation.

These bills mean more high paying jobs for Oklahomans.

House Bill (HB) 2625 was a simple change to language referencing retired peace officers that should better protect Oklahoma citizens’ fourth amendment rights.

HB 2632 provided the same protection from civil liabilities to a church that homeowners and businesses have under the Stand Your Ground law. The purpose of this bill is to make sure places of worship cannot be sued out of existence if someone within the church uses deadly force to protect those within the church from an attacker.

More churches and church members are preparing to protect themselves if there is such an attack. I felt it was important to make sure they couldn’t be sued for trying to save lives.

HB 3311 requires a greater emphasis on Civics as the State Board of Education (SDE) revises its K-12 social studies curriculum.

SB 1566 authorizes cooperation between the Tourism Department, the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) and SDE in the development of tourism material and educational material regarding Oklahoma’s Civil War Battlefields, including the Cabin Creek Battlefield south of Vinita.

Civil War Reenactments are becoming more and more popular and it is my hope we will see this soon begin again at the Cabin Creek Battlefield.

These materials will not only guide folks to the historic sites, but will help educate our young people on this important and fascinating part of our history.

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