Capitol protesters urge lawmakers to reject budget, better fund schools (KOCO)
OKLAHOMA CITY — More than 100 parents, students, and educators marched from Douglass High School to the state Capitol on Thursday morning.
The group urged lawmakers to scrap the proposed budget and come up with a better plan to fund schools.
May 26, 2016
By Crystal Price
OKLAHOMA CITY — More than 100 parents, students, and educators marched from Douglass High School to the state Capitol on Thursday morning.
The group urged lawmakers to scrap the proposed budget and come up with a better plan to fund schools.
Families from all over the state met at Douglass High School on Thursday to begin the walk.
After making posters and saying a quick prayer, the group began its journey on Northeast 8th Street toward the Capitol.
“The budget the Senate passed yesterday is one that shifts the burden of cuts from public education to higher education, and these are institutions that go hand in hand,” said Kara Joy McKee, an outreach and advocacy specialist for the Oklahoma Policy Institute.
In addition to cuts to higher education, parents said the proposal does not call for additional funding for common education.
Anna King said the school that her niece attends has cut almost a dozen teachers and an assistant principal this year.
“I made a poster that says, ‘I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired,’” King said. “Our legislators need to know that they need to put our kids first.”
Paula Lewis, OKCPS board member for District 4, said that even though the state budget proposal doesn’t call for any more cuts to common education, it’s unknown if the more than 200 teaching positions that have been cut will be saved.
“I haven’t seen anything come through our district that says we’ve got some more money back,” Lewis said. “As far as I know, we’re still at a $30 million loss in the city of Oklahoma City.”
After the walk, the group met in the rotunda and held a rally inside the Capitol.
Protesters continue to rally against state budget cuts, demand change at state capitol (KFOR)
OKLAHOMA - Its summer break for a lot of students but, instead of relaxing, some kids chose to stand up for their education at a rally.
Parents and students met at Douglass High School in northeast Oklahoma City Thursday and marched to the state capitol.
May 26, 2016
By Ashley Kringen
OKLAHOMA - Its summer break for a lot of students but, instead of relaxing, some kids chose to stand up for their education at a rally.
Parents and students met at Douglass High School in northeast Oklahoma City Thursday and marched to the state capitol.
It was about a 2.5 mile walk, taking about an hour.
The protesters' goal was to tell lawmakers it’s not too late to do something about education funding.
"Right now, we've fired teachers. We've shut down school classes," said Kara Joy Mckee, Oklahoma Policy Institute.
Decked out in "red for publiced," the protectors are demanding change.
"This is a disaster, and we can fix this if we choose wise revenue options," Mckee said.
Its nonpartisan political movements like 'Let's Fix This' and the Oklahoma Policy Institute standing up against the state's billion dollar budget hole.
Even a 14-year-old is concerned.
"I think it's crazy. In North Dakota, they've set away like $2 billion for something similar like this to happen and, in Oklahoma, we've only set away a fraction of that," Mcquistion said.
He recently discovered his passion for debate.
"I decided to try it and absolutely loved it. Then, the budget crisis happened, and he got fired," Mcquistion said.
He's upset, just as many parents are.
"My son is super into art, so cutting those things, they don't always have those opportunities," said Ashli Cox.
The protesters have some lawmakers’ attention.
"We will have better results come out of this building if more people are engaged," said Senator David Holt, District 30.
Holt voted in favor of the $6.8 billion state budget plan for fiscal year 2017.
He said there's no easy solution.
"There is no room full of money that we can go open up. We have to make really tough choices, and we have people that come to this building as well that say 'Don't raise my taxes, don't do this, don't do that,'" Holt said.
"Any mom can balance a budget. We all do it, and we all can stretch a penny. They need to figure out how to do it like a mom would," Cox said.
Now that the state budget plan passed the Senate, the bill goes to the House.
If the bill fails in the House, lawmakers go into special session.
The Legislative session is supposed to end Friday.
http://kfor.com/2016/05/26/protestors-continue-to-rally-against-state-budget-cuts-demand-change-at-state-capitol/
Capitol protesters: Scrap budget deal, fund public schools (AP)
OKLAHOMA CITY — (AP) -- More than 100 protesters at the Oklahoma state Capitol have called for the Legislature to scrap a proposed budget deal and designate more state money for public education.
May 26, 2016
By Associated Press and Jasmine Anderson
OKLAHOMA CITY — (AP) -- More than 100 protesters at the Oklahoma state Capitol have called for the Legislature to scrap a proposed budget deal and designate more state money for public education.
Members of the protest group on Thursday marched from a nearby high school and rallied in the Capitol rotunda, telling lawmakers to call a special session.
Leaders in the Legislature have been hammering out a budget deal that covers about $969 million of a $1.3 billion projected budget shortfall, requiring state agencies to absorb about $360 million in cuts from last year's appropriations.
House Rep. Mike Shelton, a Democrat, says lawmakers for years have not properly funded public education. Former legislator and governor candidate Joe Dorman says lawmakers need to look at the revenue enhancements and tax increases to come up with a solution that will work to fix the problem and not just put a bandage over it.
"It's a one year fix. They haven't done any work what so ever to come up with a long term solution," Dorman said.
Parent George Mcquiston just hoped to have his voice heard.
"I hope it moves the needle but there are a lot of people in nice fancy suits backed by organizations with acronyms who I think have a lot more power than we do," Mcquiston said.
Supporters of the budget say it does enough through revenue increases and bond measures to prevent devastating cuts to core services, including education.
http://okcfox.com/news/local/capitol-protesters-scrap-budget-deal-fund-public-schools
Local man makes it easy to talk with lawmakers with "Let's Fix This" movement (Fox 25)
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Andy Moore didn't take his first trip to the Oklahoma State Capitol until a month ago. He went for a trip he organized for "regular folks."
That trip to the Capitol has become a movement, he said.
May 22, 2016
By Jordann Lucero
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Andy Moore didn't take his first trip to the Oklahoma State Capitol until a month ago. He went for a trip he organized for "regular folks."
That trip to the Capitol has become a movement, he said.
"We started out by just [having] a goal of me and some of my friends to get people more engaged with their legislator, get them to stop complaining on Facebook and actually go down and have a conversation about what's important to them. A thing none of us ever do," Moore said.
He invited everyone on Facebook for an event he called "Let's Fix This," taglining it "a day at the Capitol for regular folks who care." Anyone who wanted could join him and his friends at the Capitol on April 27. They would meet and together figure out their way around the Capitol and into their legislators' offices.
About 70 people showed up, Moore said.
They wanted to talk about different things that were important to them or ideas they had, but Moore said it became clear the big issue was the state budget.
Largely because of the decline in oil, the state is facing a budget deficit of more than $1 billion.
"I jokingly say we're broke, but we're not broken, but, man, this budget issue really stressing all of us out I think," Moore said.
The budget issue also found a voice through about 1,100 Oklahoma City students who organized walk-out from schools in protest of how the state budget crisis affect them.
Last week, many of these students joined Moore for the second Let's Fix This day. The walked from Classen School for Advanced Studies to the Capitol. Some students were not even old enough to vote, but still participated and talked to lawmakers.
This day at the Capitol grew to about 100 participants.
Because the session is almost over "the time to protest, the time to contact your legislator, the time to just spread the word about what's happening to our budget is right now," Classen SAS senior Thomas Massenat said.
Massenat said he will join Moore again for his third and last event on Thursday, the day before this legislative session is to end.
"It's the way the government should be," Massenat said.
Let's Fix This: For the Kids will focus on education funding. Those who want to participate will meet at Douglass High School and head to the Capitol together at 9:00 Thursday morning.
Classen SAS students march to state Capitol amid budget cuts (KOCO)
OKLAHOMA CITY — Classen School of Advanced Studies students and their parents are marching from campus to the Capitol Wednesday morning because of the state's education budget cuts.
May 18, 2016
By Jonathan Greco
OKLAHOMA CITY — Classen School of Advanced Studies students and their parents are marching from campus to the Capitol Wednesday morning because of the state's education budget cuts.
Students at OKCPS high schools walk out in protest of budget cuts
Students will begin their march at 7:30 a.m. at Northwest 18th Street and North Ellison Avenue to encourage others to participate in the "Let's Fix This" movement, which encourages citizens to be active and vocal with their legislators. It also was established to show people how to talk to their representatives.
Classen SAS students joined the movement in response to the state's budget cuts to education.
“It began as something small,” Classen SAS student Thomas Massenat said in a news release. “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.”
More information about "Let's Fix This" can be found on the grassroots organization's Facebook page.
More than 1,000 students from Oklahoma City schools staged walkouts Monday in protest of Oklahoma City Public Schools' budget cuts. Students from U.S. Grant High School, Northwest Classen High School, Star Spencer High School and Jefferson Middle School participated in the walkout.
Oklahoma City Public Schools has announced $30 million in budget cuts to the 2016-17 school year.
http://www.koco.com/article/classen-sas-students-march-to-state-capitol-amid-budget-cuts/4309819