We're #3, We're #3........... in running out of smart people.

[GG]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/09/the-10-states-running-out_n_820472.html#s236893&title=3_Oklahoma

There are several states in the U.S. that are losing the education race to most of the others. In the past decade, these states have declining math and reading scores, lower numbers of people with bachelor's degrees, and comparatively fewer residents who hold white collar jobs. Colorado, Michigan, and eight others are losing this competition to states who have residents that are better educated and who have done a better job obtaining higher quality jobs. These failing states have lost ground compared to the national average.

The recent State of the Union address, and almost any sweeping political speech or document that writes or speaks about unemployment and future competition for jobs, impresses the point that a well educated workforce-a smart workforce-has comparative advantages. Regions with better-educated people tend to find it easier to draw and retain businesses. These regions are also likely to be more competitive in contrast to nations around the world like China, which has posted sharp increases in the level of educational attainment among its citizens.

Well-educated people find it easier to obtain and keep jobs. American unemployment figures consistently show that the part of the population with high levels of eduction have lower unemployment. This makes sense: skill equals aptitude in most cases. An employer who has to pick between two potential employees is likely to choose the one who reads best, writes best, and has the highest level of educational attainment. There are exceptions to this when jobs require very specific backgrounds, but across the American workforce, which has tens of millions of workers, any employer would want to have an employee who can show his educational background is stronger than that of fellow applicants.

An educated employee will not just have an advantage now, but may have more of one in the future. This is one of the reasons 24/7 Wall St. looked at trends over an entire decade. Funds of educational facilities and educators have already been eroded in many states and municipalities by budget cuts. The slow economic recovery and the move toward austerity in Washington is likely to make this trend more alarming. The portion of people who are adults with good educations may actually drop as the capital necessary to maintain a strong educational "infrastructure" is depleted. The portion of the population which is well-educated now may have reached a high-water market, at least for the foreseeable future..........................

The best Oklahoma performed in any of our metrics was 33rd, for a slight increase in the population with jobs requiring college educations. In every other category, the state experienced significant relative and actual decreases. Oklahoma had the sixth-worst decline in reading scores. Between 2000 and 2009, 39 states had better increases in adults with bachelors degrees, and 45 had better increases in advanced degrees.

Population Change (2000-2009): 159,419 (4.6%)
Bachelor's Degree or Higher: 22.7% (42nd)
Population With White Collar Careers: 11.8% (37th)
NAEP Math: 41st
NAEP Reading: 38th

[swake]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/09/the-10-states-running-out_n_820472.html#s236893&title=3_Oklahoma

There are several states in the U.S. that are losing the education race to most of the others. In the past decade, these states have declining math and reading scores, lower numbers of people with bachelor's degrees, and comparatively fewer residents who hold white collar jobs. Colorado, Michigan, and eight others are losing this competition to states who have residents that are better educated and who have done a better job obtaining higher quality jobs. These failing states have lost ground compared to the national average.

The recent State of the Union address, and almost any sweeping political speech or document that writes or speaks about unemployment and future competition for jobs, impresses the point that a well educated workforce-a smart workforce-has comparative advantages. Regions with better-educated people tend to find it easier to draw and retain businesses. These regions are also likely to be more competitive in contrast to nations around the world like China, which has posted sharp increases in the level of educational attainment among its citizens.

Well-educated people find it easier to obtain and keep jobs. American unemployment figures consistently show that the part of the population with high levels of eduction have lower unemployment. This makes sense: skill equals aptitude in most cases. An employer who has to pick between two potential employees is likely to choose the one who reads best, writes best, and has the highest level of educational attainment. There are exceptions to this when jobs require very specific backgrounds, but across the American workforce, which has tens of millions of workers, any employer would want to have an employee who can show his educational background is stronger than that of fellow applicants.

An educated employee will not just have an advantage now, but may have more of one in the future. This is one of the reasons 24/7 Wall St. looked at trends over an entire decade. Funds of educational facilities and educators have already been eroded in many states and municipalities by budget cuts. The slow economic recovery and the move toward austerity in Washington is likely to make this trend more alarming. The portion of people who are adults with good educations may actually drop as the capital necessary to maintain a strong educational "infrastructure" is depleted. The portion of the population which is well-educated now may have reached a high-water market, at least for the foreseeable future..........................

The best Oklahoma performed in any of our metrics was 33rd, for a slight increase in the population with jobs requiring college educations. In every other category, the state experienced significant relative and actual decreases. Oklahoma had the sixth-worst decline in reading scores. Between 2000 and 2009, 39 states had better increases in adults with bachelors degrees, and 45 had better increases in advanced degrees.

Population Change (2000-2009): 159,419 (4.6%)
Bachelor's Degree or Higher: 22.7% (42nd)
Population With White Collar Careers: 11.8% (37th)
NAEP Math: 41st
NAEP Reading: 38th

An almost exactly inverse ranking to our education spending. Coincidence? I think not.

[RecycleMichael]

I spent half of last year trying to get Oklahomans to pay attention to K-12 education spending by our state legislature.

The wide majority on this forum disagreed with me on it's importance and the related state question on setting education spending equal to the region lost a statewide vote by a two to one margin.

Watch the legislature in 2011 cut education spending once again while giving transportation (highways), prisons, and state colleges more money.

Bitter? Yes.  Surprised? No.

[Conan71]

I spent half of last year trying to get Oklahomans to pay attention to K-12 education spending by our state legislature.

The wide majority on this forum disagreed with me on it's importance and the related state question on setting education spending equal to the region lost a statewide vote by a two to one margin.

Watch the legislature in 2011 cut education spending once again while giving transportation (highways), prisons, and state colleges more money.

Bitter? Yes.  Surprised? No.

I think you missed the point of disagreement.  What most people objected to wasn't more education spending, it was irresponsibly setting an arbitrary standard of spending to meet by possibly taking money from other essential services.  In the absence of that, it would mean a tax increase.  it was a horribly written piece of legislation with almost no accountability to ensure better educational outcomes.

People didn't vote against better education, they voted against a truly crappy piece of shite legislation.

[Red Arrow]

People didn't vote against better education, they voted against a truly crappy piece of shite legislation.

+1, maybe more.

[ZYX]

+1, maybe more.

Me too.

[custosnox]

Me too.

I can agree with that

[GG]

I spent half of last year trying to get Oklahomans to pay attention to K-12 education spending by our state legislature.

The wide majority on this forum disagreed with me on it's importance and the related state question on setting education spending equal to the region lost a statewide vote by a two to one margin.

Watch the legislature in 2011 cut education spending once again while giving transportation (highways), prisons, and state colleges more money.

Bitter? Yes.  Surprised? No.

Micheal I can understand your bitterness, but that piece of legislation was an overreach.   Both parties are guilty of overreach from time to time.  Well maybe most of the time.   

We need more pragmatic politicians rather than those that swing for the fences all the time.

[TheArtist]

  Good article.  As to more funding for education... I, and I think many others on here, are willing to have more money go to education in this state.  The problem with our last "choice" to do so was that it didn't lay out specifics as to how and where the education money was going to be spent.  

Michael, I remember hearing you talking at one of our TN meetings about transparency in government and how descisions must be made in a transparent way by the people in government,,, how important all that is, how it makes our country great and how more is better.  The examples and descriptions you gave were very impactful.

The last vote asking for more money on education seemed to be the opposite of that spirit.  It was devoid of specifics and thus transparency. It was like we were being asked to hand over a blank check without any accountability, any contract, on how and where the money was to be spent. It wasn't a matter of more, it was a matter of how and where.  Just a general "its for education" was not clear enough. Give the people some specifics, you will get your money.  And I hope they do that.    

[custosnox]

  Good article.  As to more funding for education... I, and I think many others on here, are willing to have more money go to education in this state.  The problem with our last "choice" to do so was that it didn't lay out specifics as to how and where the education money was going to be spent. 

Michael, I remember hearing you talking at one of our TN meetings about transparency in government and how descisions must be made in a transparent way by the people in government,,, how important all that is, how it makes our country great and how more is better.  The examples and descriptions you gave were very impactful.

The last vote asking for more money on education seemed to be the opposite of that spirit.  It was devoid of specifics and thus transparency. It was like we were being asked to hand over a blank check without any accountability, any contract, on how and where the money was to be spent. It wasn't a matter of more, it was a matter of how and where.  Just a general "its for education" was not clear enough. Give the people some specifics, you will get your money.  And I hope they do that.   

I also think the non-specific "at least as much as our neighbors" was a bit of a souring point.  I think to sell this one, they need to say exactly how much and where it is going. I also think that they need to make sure that they can't add to the funding at this end, as they syphon off at the other end.

[RecycleMichael]

I don't disagree that the legislation had flaws.

I just am depressed that there is no other legislation to actually fund schools at a reasonable level.

I am tired of being next to last in education spending.

I spend lots of time in schools. I have two kids in different schools and I mentor in a school every week. My staff and I give speeches in over a hundred schools a year. Many of my friends are involved in public education and every teacher I know has at least one college degree and I don't know a single one who is paid more that we pay a Tulsa police office fresh out of the academy.

I get it.

Most of the rich people have their kids in private schools. Taking the money away from public schools makes their choices look better.   

I am bitter. I just can't believe that we have so much spending on other things. I am tired of being number one in incarcerating women and 49th in teaching kids. I just shake my head when I drive to Oklahoma City and see all the new office buildings housing state employees.

Show me the state elected official who thinks we should fund schools even close to what Kansas or Arkansas does.

[ZYX]

I agree that more school funding is needed. For example, Bixby, struggles to buy books. There are new buildings going up on campus, which is good, but they must balance that budget somewhere. Teachers have been shifted around to teach different grades and subjects as part of ways to save money. Our schools should not have to scrape by. They should be adequately funded in order to provide essential items, as well as going above and beyond in order to provide a top quality education for the students of Oklahoma.

[waterboy]

There is always a good reason to vote no. There is always a better way, with more specifics, with more details. Truth is that I have seldom seen any legislation or proposal that could measure up to TN standards. So we vote no, waiting for perfection and it never comes and the state lags behind. And we wring our hands and moan while smugly sure that it isn't our fault, its those people who write the stuff without contacting us after every sentence is written for approval. We have no faith in each other.

Most of you are big business believers. That we should operate government like a business, but you don't seem to grasp that business has different goals. Well, believe this: businesses base their pay for executives on regional and industry standards. They don't always ask for specific details of how that pay is measured out, they simply know that if they want competent or exemplary employees they have to pay what their competitors are paying. You don't want government (education) to do that.

Then know that businesses operate on borrowed money. Borrowed from stockholders, banks and other elements they do business with. They invest others monies because they have to in order to survive. They have faith that they have the right mix of elements to pay that money back in spades. You don't want government (education) to do that.

[custosnox]

There is a difference between voting no because it can be better and voting no because it's not good enough.  This falls into the second category.  Personally I did a lot of waffeling on this one because I want to see more money going towards education.  It was hard to vote not on it.  But I wanted to send the message that there should be processes in place to ensure the money goes to actual education, not funneled into this person or that persons pockets. Is it really too much to ask to be given an actual number for the increase, and at least a breakdown of percentage going to what area of education such as transportation, educator saleries, materials ect?

[swake]

Well we now have the alternative, a 3% cut on top of last years cuts. We already had teacher layoffs and my son has 29 kids in his class today, where are they going to cut now?

Falin and her state Republican party cronies are working hard spending money on new laws that will fight federal laws regarding evolution, Obamacare, abortion and anchor babies, while cutting education spending and adding in new tax cuts.

Way to go Oklahoma.

http://www.kfor.com/news/sns-ap-ok--fallin-executivebudget-glance,0,940999.story

http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/2011/02/gains-okla-gop-touts-ambitious-agenda