Civil disobedience: Students march to Oklahoma Capitol (NonDoc)

May 18, 2016

 By William W. Savage III

In an effort one screaming teenager dubbed “civil disobedience,” dozens of Classen School of Advanced Studies students and their parents marched three miles to the Oklahoma Capitol this morning to protest education funding cuts.

“It’s finally come down to affect us as we’re seeing entire programs get cut, our favorite teachers or subjects getting fired or getting cut,” said Jasper Urie-Lanman, a freshman at the high school. “For a while, it hadn’t been affecting us, but now we kind of realize that it really is.”

Urie-Lanman said he wants to be a writer when he grows up, and his friend, Dennis Hurst, said he wants to be a violinist. Hurst held a sign saying, “Fund education, fund our future.”

Hurst called the $30 million in approved and proposed cuts by OKCPS for next year’s budget “really detrimental to our future.”

Urie-Lanman agreed and said he hoped to send that message to lawmakers at 23rd and Lincoln.

“I’d like to see an actual change for once,” he said. “A lot of times when you protest, it’s hard to get an immediate change. But I think with actual students who care about their education and the future of such a great school in such a great school system, I think it could really make an effect if we all voice our concerns and opinions to the Legislators and to the people who make the decisions.”

Parents join students

Several parents accompanied the students in the march Wednesday.

Timothy Bradford, one half of OKC’s Short Order Poems group, showed up with signs to support his two children who attend Classen SAS.

“Classen SAS is an amazing school,” Bradford said after students had crossed Classen Boulevard heading east toward the Capitol. “For me, it’s been a wonderful place for both of my kids, and I worry about it becoming far less of a wonderful place. They’re talking shortened days, four days a week, cutting staff, (cutting) the arts.”

A magnet school, Classen SAS is home to a middle school and the highest-performing high school in the Oklahoma City Public Schools District. The district has announced 208 teaching position reductions and 25 percent cuts to athletics and arts programs. Monday, more than 1,000 students walked out of district schools in protest of the ongoing belt-tightening.

“I feel a little bit like I’m out here doing this because my representatives, the Legislature, my governor, they’re not doing the job they’re appointed to do, and that’s to keep the state running and healthy, and that includes good infrastructure and good public education,” Bradford said. “We’re facing a situation where that’s really in jeopardy, and that means to me they’re not doing their job and that means I have to come out here and — not do their job — but remind them to do it.”

Bradford and Urie-Lanman said Wednesday’s protest was organized by Thomas and Chloe Massenat, children of former OKCPS school board member Laura Massenat. Bradford is a visiting assistant professor in English at Oklahoma State University. Another Classen SAS parent in attendance, Felix Linden, is a teacher elsewhere in the district.

Protesters too young to vote

Urie-Lanman, Hurst and many others in attendance will all be too young to vote in 2016 elections.

“That’s a problem,” Hurst said.

Abigail Hickman, a Classen SAS junior, said her 18th birthday will come two weeks after November’s general election.

“I’m annoyed (I won’t get to vote) because nothing is going to change between those two weeks,” she said before speculating about why the Legislature has accepted education funding cuts. “I think it’s an idea that they’re funding an average education for an average student. So arts and athletics, which are a staple here, aren’t really necessary. So they’re just going to provide an average education.”

‘Oh everything’s fine’

Bradford noted a recent Reuters article that discussed how oil and gas interests have kept their state tax burdens relatively low despite revenue issues in Oklahoma.

“While we’ve been making a lot of money through oil and gas during the boom, we weren’t putting money aside like other states,” he said. “We weren’t taxing it at rates that were really going to sustain or help our schools get ahead. Actually, we were shrinking the budget for public education, and I feel a little like an idiot that I didn’t know that and wasn’t on top of that.

“While things are good, you kind of roll with it and say, ‘Oh, everything’s fine.’ But now we’re in a really tight spot. You know, we could have been ahead of the game as far as budgeting for education if things had been taxed at a proper level during the boom. Now, where we are, certainly we’re not going to find extra money, but it’s just trying to keep the cuts from completely gutting things, keeping the school system relatively healthy.”

https://nondoc.com/2016/05/18/civil-disobedience-students-march-to-oklahoma-capitol/

Students, parents of one Oklahoma City school marching to Capitol to protest budget cuts (KFOR)

May 18, 2016

By Dallas Franklin

OKLAHOMA CITY – Students and parents of one Oklahoma City school are marching to the Capitol Wednesday to protest budget cuts. 

Students and parents of Classen SAS are planning on marching from their school at N.W. 18th and Ellison at 7:30 a.m. to the State Capitol in support of the social movement, “Let’s Fix This.”

According to a press release from the group, the march came about after student Thomas Massenat discussed the budget cuts with his family. 

“It began as something small,” Massenat stated, “I was having a conversation with my family about the budget cuts’ infuriating nature. My sister Chloe and I decided that we should take action. We knew that the group ‘Let’s Fix This’ was meeting at the Capitol on Wednesday, and that other schools in the district were staging their own protests earlier in the week.”

“Let’s Fix This” is a non-partisan political movement that encourages citizens to be active and vocal with their legislators and helps educate the public on how to speak to their representatives.

“The purpose of our protest is to demonstrate to Oklahoma’s legislators the weight of their actions. Because of their refusal to pass legislation that will overcome the projected revenue shortfall of $1.3 billion, Oklahoma’s future generation is at risk. This shortfall has forced the OKCPS district to slash $30 million from its budget. What that looks like at my school of Classen SAS is teachers being fired, AP and IB testing funds disappearing, and cuts to the administrative staff. We fully support measures to counteract this deficit including rolling back tax cuts, closing tax loopholes, ending costly tax breaks, and selective tax increases on cigarettes and fuel,” Massenat said. “As students we have the privilege of being the victims of these cuts, so it is imperative that we demand our legislators increase revenues instead of cutting programs. The strategies they have used in the past were ineffective. It’s time for Oklahoma to try something new.”

http://kfor.com/2016/05/18/students-parents-of-one-oklahoma-city-school-marching-to-capitol-to-protest-budget-cuts/

Everyday folks call, email and visiting lawmakers before end of legislative session. (Oklahoma Gazette)

May 4, 2016

 By Laura Eastes

Andy Moore was fed up with dreary headlines about the state’s financial mess. Articles covering the revenue shortfall and its impact on state agencies and school districts that are now facing massive budget cuts frustrated the Oklahoma City resident and father of two young children.

Like many, Moore logged on to Facebook to share his irritation with friends and family members; however, that action didn’t prompt any change. 

About a month ago, Moore jokingly suggested to friends they take a day off work to visit the state Capitol to talk with lawmakers about the $1.3 billion budget hole and funding issues regarding core government services.

His idea was met with enthusiasm, which surprised Moore, who never considered himself politically active but rather politically interested.

 A public Facebook page, Let’s Fix This: A Day at the Capitol for Regular Folks Who Care, was created with an event date set for April 27. The man who never attended a political rally had organized a nonpartisan, multi-issue day of advocacy at the Capitol.

“We all have a dog in this fight,” Moore said at the inaugural event. “We are all Oklahomans, and we all care.”

Moore’s movement centered on everyday folks from all walks of life who hold different political opinions coming to the Capitol and advocating for their passions. Moore has concerns about funding cuts to schools, mental health and roads but acknowledged others worried about health, human services and public safety. Wearing red “let’s fix this” buttons, citizens from across the state spoke with lawmakers and advocated for a better Oklahoma.

Together Oklahoma

Thousands of Oklahomans visit the “People’s House” annually; however, many visit for rallies on specific legislation, pressing issues or advocating for a single entity. 

Founded on the notion that “Oklahoma’s future depends on our essential public services — we need safe communities, a strong infrastructure and environment, and great schools to keep this state attractive to business and a great place to live” four years ago, Together Oklahoma brought a wave of citizen lobbyists to the Capitol.

Together Oklahoma is a coalition of citizens working to connect the state’s values to the state’s budget priorities. Oklahoma Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, staffs and funds Together Oklahoma, which also encourages coalition members to call, write and visit with lawmakers.

During this session and in the wake of Oklahoma’s economic crisis, much of Together Oklahoma’s message centered on creating new revenues to close next year’s budget gap, said David Blatt, Oklahoma Policy Institute executive director.

“We appreciate the citizens that are getting involved, engaged and helping to put solutions out there,” Blatt said. “If lawmakers wouldn’t do the hard things — in particular roll back the tax cuts, tax breaks and increase taxes — if they aren’t willing to do that in this situation, the outcome will be really bad for the people of this state and a really bad outcome for elected officials.” 

Coalition members campaign on three suggestions: roll back the most recent income tax credit, end tax breaks and tax loop holes and enact selective tax increases. The group endorses increasing the cigarette tax rate by $1.50 per pack to support state health agencies. Additionally, raising fuel tax by five cents would bring $135 million into state coffers.

The proposed solutions aren’t unique to Together Oklahoma or Oklahoma Policy Institute. Republican lawmakers and the Oklahoma Hospital Association also spoke in favor of the cigarette tax proposition. In February, Gov. Mary Fallin called for an end to the personal income tax double deduction, which only benefits the state’s high earners who itemize deductions.

Efforts on budget solutions appear stalled to Blatt and Moore, which is why they push for citizen engagement.

It is a critical time for citizens to make their cases to lawmakers. Lawmakers must pass a state budget for the coming fiscal year before adjourning the regular session. The final day of session, called sine die, is May 27.

“Everyone agrees something needs to be done and new revenue is part of the solution, but [lawmakers] can’t agree on what the new revenue should be,” Blatt said. “They can’t come together. We really are seeing a leadership crisis.”

Social media

Blatt said Oklahoma Policy Institute and Together Oklahoma are witnessing record numbers in web traffic and social media interactions. He believes the spike is spurred by the state’s current financial woes.

“People are really freaked out about what’s happening,” Blatt said, “or what could happen if legislators don’t fix this.”

Together Oklahoma created the website dosomethingok.org and generated the social media hashtag #DoSomethingOK. Testimonials of funding cuts impacting everyday Oklahomans are published on the website.

A lawmaker locator and talking points also are accessible from the site. Putting the crisis in perspective is a variety of short, humorous videos.

The state’s budget crisis is a disheartening subject. Together Oklahoma staff strive not to discourage people with the facts they present. Rather, they encourage people who have concerns and frustrations to become part of the solution by writing legislators, visiting the Capitol and speaking with peers about the issues.

Social media also was the driving force in Moore’s Let’s Fix This campaign. He expected about a dozen people to join him. Instead, around 70 people participated in the inaugural event 

Moore connected with lawmakers through Facebook to explain the event and ask for their help. Could they share advice for approaching elected officials? Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City; Rep. Jason Dunnington, D-Oklahoma City; Rep. Mark Lepak, R-Claremore; and Rep. Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, spoke during the April 27 meeting.

Citizen lobbyists

“One of the things I’ve learned over the past two and a half years is there are not enough people engaged,” Bice said as she addressed the crowd.

The state senator stressed that lawmakers are everyday folks who want to hear from constituents. Letters, emails, phone calls and visits aren’t unnoticed, Bice said. 

Six Let’s Fix This advocates visited Munson’s office. The freshman lawmaker said she found it encouraging that both Republicans and Democrats spoke of similar funding concerns during their visits.

“To have people share their everyday stories about how the budget impacts them, that is powerful for elected individuals,” Munson said. “We have to remember that we are making decisions on people’s lives.”

The Let’s Fix This movement continues through its presence on social media. There’s a good chance the group will soon be back at the Capitol. In the meantime, it continues advocating for a better Oklahoma.

“I’ve heard so many people say they haven’t been politically active, but by someone saying, ‘Hey, we are just regular folks,’ that was the piece that keyed them into getting involved,” Moore said.

Like Moore, Blatt believes there is still time for lawmakers to pursue new revenue streams for the coming year’s budget, which begins July 1, and not pass a budget with dire cuts to core services. However, lawmakers’ lack of action during the first 13 weeks of session paints an ominous picture.

“At this point, I don’t think anyone knows how this will end,” Blatt said. “I don’t think any of the scripts have a good ending. … We can’t fix all of our problems. Even if the price of oil doubled, there are still major budget challenges. There is no great ending. There is worse and there is catastrophic.” 

http://okgazette.com/2016/05/04/everyday-folks-call-email-and-visiting-lawmakers-before-end-of-legislative-session/

Voters Confront Lawmakers On State Budget (News9)

April 27, 2016

By Aaron Brilbeck

OKLAHOMA CITY - Dozens of people, fed up with the budget cuts, spoke with lawmakers Wednesday, as part of a grass-roots effort to get Oklahomans more involved in politics - an effort that started just three weeks ago.

Debbi Childers works with children who have mental disabilities. Without her services, she says, many of her clients will wind up in prison or dead. The state has already cut funding to the company she works for, making it hard to find good help.

“I mean anybody can go get a job at McDonald’s and make more than they can working with these clients,” said Childers. 

Politicians admit they get away with it because no one stops them.

“It’s because the citizens of Oklahoma have been absent from the Capitol, legislators have been able to carry out deeds that have damaged this state not just for this year they’ve damaged this state for a generation,” said Representative Mike Shelton (D) – District 97.

Andy Moore organized the effort that he’s calling “Let’s Fix This”. 

“My heart ached for the state like everybody else. So, I made a Facebook event and invited my friends expecting there would be ten people show up. And the next morning, I had over a hundred that had said they’re interested,” said Moore.

Moore isn’t a lobbyist or someone who works with special interest group. He said he’s just a regular guy and a voter who’s fed up with the way things are run here at the Capitol.

“Today, we are all lobbyists for our own cause. We the public are may be the most special interest,” said Moore. “We all get a vote, and decisions are made by people who show up.”

http://www.news9.com/story/31834445/voters-confront-lawmakers-on-state-budget

Let’s Fix This or at Least Do Something, OK? (WAFTI Show podcast)

Andy Moore (Let's Fix This) and David Blatt (Oklahoma Policy Institute) join us in studio to discuss "Let's Fix This: A Day at the Capitol for Regular Folks,” a grassroots effort to get people engaged in the political process, to band together and advocate for the common-sense changes we need to get our state economy back on the right track.