OEA

It is an honor to bring you our 100th episode of the public education podcast for Oklahomans! Thank you for being a part of the Fried Okra family and we hope to be with you for hundreds more.

This episode, we recap the joy of returning to an in-person Delegate Assembly last week, where OEA members join together in camaraderie and sharing input and ideas from all over the state.  We also discuss the home stretch of legislative session, including where education stands in the budget process.

As the Oklahoma legislative session completes deadline week, we recap it all.

From the highs of defeating SB 1647 in a marathon late-night vote to the lows of political retaliation against those educators whose voices defeated the monstrous voucher bill to everything in between. If it's #oklaed related from this year's legislative session, we break it down.

Two bills, SB 638 and SB 1579, target the voices of educators with surgical precision. Ivy Riggs explains where these targeted attacks on education associations originate and wonders why state leaders are not using their time and energy to focus on real problems like the teacher shortage.

Then we are excited to be joined by Katy Leffel, Director of the Oklahoma School Foundations Network at the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. Leffel is a former Putnam City teacher who helps support school foundations across the state and shares services/programs/awards/etc. that all educators should take advantage of. Learn more at ofe.org.

We are thrilled to be joined by Jessica Eschbach, the 2021 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year from Norman, about her year representing teachers throughout the state and her perspective on the work Oklahoma educators do every single day.

Legislative maestro Ivy Riggs also returns to breakdown where things stand with committee and filing deadlines. We also discuss how so many bills seem to target only educators.

Each week during session, one of OEA's legislative and political organizers joins the pod to break down what's happening at the Oklahoma Capitol. This Friday, we'd like to introduce you to our newest legislative and political organizer, Tyler Outlaw! Tyler was a middle school social studies teacher before joining OEA's staff. He talks about going from teaching about the civics process to living it every day.

Then Rep. Mark McBride (R-Moore) makes his first appearance on Fried Okra to discuss HB 3364, a bill he authored to provide stipends to new teachers and college students training to become educators in Oklahoma. Rep. McBride shares conversations he's had with the education community about the dire need for more teachers in the classroom and how they are the greatest commodity our for our state.

On this episode of Fried Okra, legislative guru Ivy Riggs breaks down how a small group of people with a large pool of money can turn their wish lists into copy-and-paste legislation in states across the country.

Then we are thrilled to be joined by former educator and OEA member, Rep. Melissa Provenzano, on her journey through the various levels of public education all the way to fighting for public schools as an elected representative inside the Capitol.

SB 1647, a voucher bill that could have destroyed rural public education, was defeated on the senate floor after a marathon vote late Wednesday night. We discuss the huge victory, the anxiousness of the evening, and how there are so many people to thank for protecting our public schools.

Then we are thrilled to be joined by Rep. Tammy West, who authored HB 3374, a bill that would institute a pilot program for community schools in Oklahoma. The bill passed the house by a vote of 78-12 and now moves on to the senate. Community Schools make use of up to $100,000 per school district of federal funds to allow schools to hire a resource coordinator who becomes familiar with individual student and family needs and pulls together resources available in the local community help meet those needs.

After many expected SB 1647 to be heard on the Senate floor this week, the Senators left for the weekend without holding a vote on the massive voucher bill. This delay is almost entirely due to the advocacy of you, OEA members, our partners in the Oklahoma Education Coalition, and all the community members who have used their voices to stand up for public schools. Ivy Riggs reminds us, though, that just because it doesn't have the votes now, doesn't mean it won't in the future. So stay vigilant.

We are also thrilled to speak with Brittany Hayes, policy director of the Healthy Minds Initiative. Hayes was originally a public school teacher in Oklahoma before noticing "a lot of the issues I was facing were at the policy level." Through their research, Healthy Minds help bring mental health services and systems to the forefront with legislators and communities.

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.