Betting on Education

Rats! Crapped out again.

Expectations by the public and by government about Oklahoma's state lottery were pipe dreams waiting for something good in the bowl (sorry, a 60’s metaphor).

Oklahoma has long looked for a magic bullet when it comes to funding common education. You may recall that selling alcohol in package stores was supposed to increase revenues for education. Then it was liquor by the drink. Don’t forget all the cash Remington Park and para-mutual betting was supposed to generate (along with that avalanche of cash from state horsemen and women).

And then it was the lottery’s turn to save public education because Oklahomans surely loved to gamble as much as they loved to drink.

Goveror Brad Henry and his pals expected $300 million a year from the "A" lottery plan. 

The State got a watered down version which was supposed to generate $150 million a year for common education.

Woops - wrong again.  The Oklahoma Lottery is generating about $70 million a year. 

Promises, Promises!

Oh well, another search for the Holy Grail of education funding became so much slowly fades from view while some Oklahomans are dreaming and scheming to find that next sure thing to fund common education.


You are right to think that any additional cash to the system is a good thing. We can all use an extra buck or two in our pocket. As always when it comes to state education, it’s good to look at who is getting the “extra” cash

The basic questions of how our money is sent go either unanswered or shrouded in such edu-speak that no one really knows where the money goes.

What you didn’t mention was how badly the current system is run or how totally out of date it is. We’re trying to get students prepared for the 21st Century with an early 20th Century education model.

We have over 500 school districts. Why? There are some high schools that graduate five or fewer students a year. Shouldn’t that school be merged with a larger one (economies of scale). Why do we cling to this persistent notion that every town deserves a school?

What about purchasing? It seems we would do better if our state had a real central purchasing unit, one that schools had to use when purchasing for their schools. As it is, local districts can pretty much purchase from whomever they like.

And lets not forget the State Superintendent of Schools. That budget continues to climb for an office that has relatively little to do on a daily basis except promote the State Superintendent.

Of course, we do have to do something about the idea that teachers only work nine months a year and they most are second income earners. Oklahoma refuses to accept the notion that educators are actually the most important person their children come in contact with after their parents. If they did, we'd pay them like the rock stars most of them are.

We only put an emphasis on schools when their football team is winning. It’s inconceivable that a high school football coach makes over six figures (Midwest City) while teachers make a third of that.

It’s time for Oklahoma to totally revamp its common education program. Chipping away at the problem won’t help. We need to totally reorganize the State Department of Education. Emphasis must be on the classroom, not the boardroom.

As long as we continue to think of education in this state the way it’s always been thought of (a nice home for football teams and a lace to park the kids during the day), Oklahoma will never be more than a third tier state.

Our kids deserve better.