| June 8, 2018
Media mentions - Week of June 4, 2018
Media Mentions - Week of June 4, 2018
The Washington Times: What we've learned as teachers go on strike
Spring 2018 has brought a wave of protests by public school administrators and teachers demanding more spending on education. The protests closed schools in at least five states.
The classrooms have now reopened, so it’s time to ask an educational question: What, exactly, have we learned from this experience?
One lesson is that it’s school district officials who determine where the money goes and how much teachers get paid.
…..
Arizona isn’t the only state where school districts don’t always give top priority to raising teacher pay. The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs reports that some striking teachers work in a school district that boasts an athletic center with a “ground-floor weight room, a second-floor fitness center, meeting rooms, whirlpools.” It also has an Olympic-sized pool and aquatic center.
Another batch of Oklahoma strikers came from a high school with a $10 million football stadium with “‘NFL-quality’ artificial turf.”
KFOR: Retired OU professor accused of inappropriate behavior
NORMAN, Okla. - University of Oklahoma officials have confirmed a retired professor, who has been accused of inappropriate behavior, will not be speaking at a scheduled event on Wednesday.
Recently, accusations against John Scamehorn, a professor emeritus for OU's School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, have circulated around social media. Some have taken to Facebook, posting their experiences with Scamehorn in which they felt uncomfortable.
…..
On Tuesday, there was new criticism against Scamehorn - this time, from the free market think tank Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, which took an aim at film rebates and subsidies.
"It turns out this person facing these accusations has actually received $70,000 twice over to help for making these movies that again — seem to be more like hobby films," said OCPA executive vice president Trent England. "Now, we have accusations of harassment going on on the set of one of these movies that taxpayers had to help pay for."
The Journal Record: Popular Henry program improving lives
Eight years ago today, Democratic Gov. Brad Henry signed into law a bill creating a scholarship program for special-needs students. What do Oklahomans think of the program?
A statewide survey last month asked this: “Oklahoma has an educational choice program, the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship Program for Children with Disabilities, which makes private-school scholarships available to special-education students, foster children, and children adopted out of state custody. Do you support or oppose this scholarship program?”