Agricultural News
Study Finds School Deregulation Favored Over Consolidation
Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:45:36 CDT
In response to Gov. Mary Fallin's call for a debate about the structure of Oklahoma's school systems, House Speaker Pro Tempore Jeff Hickman and Ringwood Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Tom Deighan presented an interim study on school consolidation to the House Common Education Committee.
Hickman said the study raised serious doubts about whether widespread consolidation is even necessary, and if it is, to what extent. Most committee members felt that deregulating all districts and splitting up large, struggling urban districts into more districts is a better route.
If policymakers do decide to restructure school districts, Hickman said they might start by reviewing the 104 dependent school districts that only offer classes through eighth grade before sending students to a neighboring high school while keeping all the property tax money within their district for the K-8 school.
As a school superintendent, Deighan said he appreciated recent efforts by some legislators to deregulate districts even though major deregulation legislation has failed to be signed into law.
"You let schools like mine or any other school in the state live under the same rules as a charter school, and give us the bar and tell us to reach it, and hold us accountable, and you'll see amazing things happen in this state," Deighan said.
According to an analysis of State Department of Education data by the Organization of Rural Oklahoma Schools, 11 of the top 20 schools with the highest ACT scores in the state are in districts serving less than 500 students. Graduation rates in districts under 500 students are significantly higher than in larger districts - seven percent higher overall and 21 percent higher than the largest districts in the state. Non-instructional costs in Oklahoma's smallest schools are $266.69 less per pupil than in the largest schools.
"Wouldn't it make a little more sense rather than looking at some of the smaller schools that spend the least amount of money and do some of the better jobs to look at the two larger districts that do the worst job in terms of education in several areas, and spend the most amount of money, and deconsolidate Oklahoma City and Tulsa schools to make three or four good school systems out of one that continually and perennially causes headaches for the Legislature?" asked Rep. Gus Blackwell (R-Laverne), member of the Common Education Committee.
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