Legislative expert Ivy Riggs returns to the pod to break down the first "deadline week" at the Capitol. Find out the good, the bad, and the ugly on where education bills stand, including a monster voucher bill making it through committee. Please contact your lawmakers, share your story, and let them know our public dollars need to remain in public schools that serve over 90% of Oklahoma kids!

Each year, the Oklahoma Aspiring Educators Association selects a school to receive funds for the Outreach to Teach program that honors service to a community. Our winner this year is Lincoln Elementary in Lawton, OK. It is the oldest school in Lawton — established in 1908. They have around 350 student and 91% of their students qualify for free and reduced lunch. Heather Cody from OAEA and Darrell Morris from Lincoln Elementary join us to talk about the impact of this program.

In Carrie's final show as host, she delivers a heartfelt eulogy for her childhood teacher and an important message for all educators to understand the lasting impact they create.

We also speak with Fried Okra's next host moving forward, friend of the show and legislative wizard, Ellen Pogemiller, on the current state of the fight against vouchers at the Capitol.

Following Governor Stitt's divisive State of the State that promoted voucher schemes, and House Speaker McCall's statement that the House will not hear the SB1467 voucher bill, legislative expert Ivy Riggs returns to break down what it all means for educators.

Ted Dintersmith is one of America's leaders in innovation, entrepreneurship, and education. He's written books such as What School Could Be and produced films like Most Likely to Succeed aimed at empowering educators already doing incredible work, inspiring innovation, and improving the student experience. Mr. Dintersmith joins the podcast ahead of his upcoming appearance as the keynote speaker at this year's OEA Organizing Conference Feb. 25-26.

We are just days away from this year's legislative session, which is sure to require our collective energy as much as any other with another onslaught of efforts to divert public funds to private schools and attempts to divide our communities through public education. OEA is also pushing ahead with positive bills — like a much needed pay raise for education support professionals. The dynamic duo of Ivy Riggs and Ellen Pogemiller return to the pod to break down what we can do to help.

The Oklahoma Education Association prides itself on being comprised of educators elected by their fellow members across the state. Adrienne Hall, chair of OEA elections committee, a volunteer position, joins the pod ahead of candidate filing this election season beginning in February.

Our local legislative expert, Ivy Riggs, returns to Fried Okra to discuss a recent OEA member survey on the current state of education, how they are doing, and how the substitute shortage is affecting people. Spoiler alert: educators are feeling disrespected, undervalued, and exhausted.

We are so honored to have Dr. Brian Duke, interim dean of college of education and professional studies at the university of central oklahoma, to talk about the teacher pipeline.

Stay tuned following Dr. Duke's interview for

Friend of the pod and recently retired Paul Shinn, former Budget and Tax Analyst at the Oklahoma Policy Institute drops by to provide a helpful civics lesson on how this state formulates a budget and why this year's budget could have been better if lawmakers of the past had not been so short-sighted.

The OEA Organizing Conference is always a fun and informative experience where members descend from across the state for an opportunity to come together and grow as advocates for their students, their colleagues, themselves, and public education. This year's conference, Better Together: Organizing Through Advocacy, will be Feb. 25-26 and members can sign up for an early bird rate of $35 through Feb. 4 and $50 afterwards.

Legislators have enormous power and control over our state's public school system, but how many of them actually know what goes inside the buildings? Oklahoma PTA's Vice President of Advocacy, Tammy McCartney, joins the podcast to discuss an exciting new chance for lawmakers to attend school for a day. Whether it's teaching a classroom, riding the bus, serving meals, or anything in between, the PTA is asking lawmakers to see their schools and educators in action.

Speaking of legislators, a new session is just around the corner and our resident Legislative and Political Organizing expert, Ivy Riggs, returns to break down what is on the horizon — including another potential cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for retirees.

Educators in the OEA elect their peers to represent them at the local and state level. The national association is no different. National Education Association President Becky Pringle currently advocates for public schools in rooms with some of the most influential leaders in the United States, but that journey began as a science teacher in Pennsylvania. Fried Okra is thrilled to welcome back President Pringle to discuss the importance of amplifying the stories of students and educators around the country, as well as the fight and recent gains made at the national level in student loan forgiveness.

The OEA has recently partnered with Dr. Elizabeth Risch from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine to tackle mental health issues in education. Dr. Risch is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect in the Department of Pediatrics and her clinical work focuses on assessment and treatment of youth who have experienced trauma. She joins Fried Okra to explain, among other things, why compassion, not "self care," is a more sustainable solution.

We are also thrilled to have a coversation with Alison Black, President of the Oklahoma Council for Indian Education, who breaks down the importance of Native American studies in curriculum and where educators can access reliable materials.