Small on school choice: Not afraid to thrive

Rev. Wade Moore at recent school choice rally

Not afraid to thrive

By Jonathan Small

Most parents want their children to not only survive but thrive. Sadly, among some school-choice opponents, that is apparently viewed as a controversial statement.

Oklahomans from across the state recently rallied at the state Capitol, urging lawmakers to pass a robust school-choice tax credit that will allow them to use their tax dollars for the education setting that best serves each individual child, including private school and homeschooling.

But one lawmaker dismissed many of them—based, it appears, on skin color.

Gov. Stitt announces $10M in funding to supply OK schools with PPE

GOVERNOR STITT, SEC. BROWN, EDUCATION STAKEHOLDERS ANNOUNCE PPE ASSISTANCE FOR OKLAHOMA SCHOOLS

OKLAHOMA CITY (July 30, 2020)— Governor Kevin Stitt announced today the State of Oklahoma is allocating $10 million in federal CARES Act funding to supply Oklahoma schools with PPE in order to open safely for in-person learning.

Joined by Secretary of Human Services and Early Childhood Initiatives Justin Brown and education stakeholders from across the state, Gov. Stitt stressed the importance of the health and safety of students and teachers while highlighting the need for schools to resume.

“Schools are an essential part of our society,” said Gov. Stitt. “It is critically important that they operate safely and effectively for all students. I am committed to providing our schools with the resources and support they need in order to welcome students back to the classroom while also prioritizing their health.”

Based on personnel data and requests from the State Department of Education, the State will be providing the following PPE to Oklahoma schools:

Gov. Stitt announces $30M education allocation plan to mitigate COVID needs

GOVERNOR STITT ANNOUNCES $30 MILLION EDUCATION ALLOCATION PLANProposal includes three initiatives that will offer quality academic options to help minimize learning gaps for students and schools across the state

 OKLAHOMA CITY (July 17, 2020) — Gov. Kevin Stitt today announced $30 million from the GEER fund will go toward funding three new education initiatives - Learn Anywhere Oklahoma, Bridge the Gap Digital Wallet and Stay in School Funds.

The Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund, authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, is an extraordinarily flexible "emergency block grant" designed to enable governors to decide how best to meet the needs of students, schools (including charter schools and non-public schools), postsecondary institutions and other education-related organizations. The U.S. Department of Education provided a total of $360 million for Oklahoma’s public education systems to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, of which $39.9 million was designated into the GEER Fund.

“These programs will allow for students and families of diverse backgrounds to access the quality resources they need in order to continue their education journey amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Gov. Stitt. “These are unprecedented times, but we can’t let our kids fall further behind academically. They are our priority, and we will do everything we can to ensure they have the tools they need to succeed in their academic endeavors.”