OEA

Friend of the show and OEA Swiss Army Knife Ivy Riggs returns to Fried Okra and reacts to the State Board of Education voting 4-3 to not have any minimum safety requirements for Oklahoma school districts returning to in-person learning.

We are also joined by Jarrod Scott, electrician for Putnam City Public Schools, about how education support professionals in his district organized to fight against outsourcing and how others in similar situations in Oklahoma can use their voices for power.

We hope you didn't miss us too much last week! But we're back this Friday with a special Fried Okra including former OEA members and current Oklahoma state representatives, Melissa Provenzano and Mark Waldron, who discuss their COVID-19 plan for the state moving forward.

Also, we highlight yesterday's press conference calling for schools to return safely that included Alicia Priest, President of the Oklahoma Education Association; Clark Frailey, Executive Director of Oklahoma Pastors for Kids; Jami Cole, Edvocates Facebook Group; Dr. Dwight Sublett, president of the Oklahoma chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; and Morgan McLellan, a student at Rattan Public Schools.

Links from the pod

okea.org/elections2021

Oklahoma Education Association legislative guru and friend of the pod, Amanda Ewing, is back on Fried Okra to break down Tuesday's election results, what the passing of State Question 802 means for education, and how educators fared in their races across the state.

Bargaining equitable and fair contracts that allow educators to advocate for the best policies for their students is an integral part of OEA's work. Rhonda Harlow has been on the front lines of bargaining, both as a member and an advocacy specialist for the Association, and she explains how you can become a part of that process in your district.

Fried Okra spans across the entire career journey of an educator, as we are first joined by Oklahoma Aspiring Educators Association (OAEA) President Nancy Melendez and Chair of the NEA Aspiring Educators, Rachel Immerman. They are two of over 50,000 future educators across the country, on over 1,000 college campuses, who have already begun advocating on behalf of their eventual students.

Then, Alicia and Carrie have a conversation with two of the Oklahoma Retired Educators Association's most steadfast advocates for Sooner State retirees, in executive director Sabra Tucker and President Polly Christian. They discuss the dedication, effort, and time it took to fight for a cost-of-living adjustment for retirees and how rewarding it felt to finally see it come to fruition this session.

This week's episode is all about health, as our first guests are Corey Lively, CEO of the Elk City Hospital, and also friend of the pod, LeeAnne Power Jimenez, science and STEAM academic director for Tulsa Public Schools. They break down State Question 802 and why it is important for Oklahomans to vote YES on June 30.

Fried Okra then has the pleasure of being joined by nurses Beverly Burk (Jenks Public Schools) and Tammy Kain (Mustang Public Schools), of the School Nurse Organization of Oklahoma, who examine the data OEA collected from its member survey on returning to schools safely.

Fried Okra is first joined by a couple of members, Heather Davis (Bartlesville) and Betty Collins (Union), who became official notary publics to help Oklahomans who are unable to vote in person still be a part of the voting process. They discuss how they became notaries and how people can reach out to have them notarize their absentee ballot.

Then we have a conversation with OEA members, Sharon Reese (Shawnee) and Victor Gonzalez (Stillwater), who have been involved in the candidate interview process for the OEA Fund for Children and Public Education (FCPE) PAC. They explain how these conversations with potential elected officials go, the process to get involved, and where advocates for public education can make donations (no member dues dollars go towards the PAC or any political activity).

Andy Moore, executive director of "Let's Fix This Oklahoma," refreshes Fried Okra with a civics lesson on how and when Oklahomans can vote this year. 

Also, Sharica Cole and Dawn Brown from OEA's Human and Civil Rights Committee share their personal stories of dealing with race as educators. It is a difficult conversation to have, but one that is much needed in this time, as we navigate how to move forward and make progress in our schools and with our students.

Representative Mark Lawson of Sapulpa gives his unique perspective of what it's like to campaign in the world of COVID. He also reveals the votes of which he's the most proud during his first four years in the legislature and gives his pitch to educators for the June primary.

We also continue to shine our spotlight on the caucuses of OEA this week with LeeAnn Jimenez, Tulsa science teacher, and member of the OEA Republican Caucus. No matter your race, gender, political affiliation, sexual orientation, etc., there is an OEA caucus for you to channel your energy into positive change.

Links from the pod:

Join VOICE and ACTION on June 1 at 7pm to discuss the upcoming mass eviction issue facing our communities.

As session winds to a close, OEA legislative guru and former Mustang teacher, Ivy Riggs, joins Fried Okra to recap all the twists and turns of this unorthodox session. Including the nearly decade-long journey for a cost-of-living adjustment for public retirees that culminated in the Governor's signature this year.

We also begin our look at the different OEA caucuses with a spotlight on Lawrence Lane and Melani Ford of the Black Caucus. They tell us why caucuses are an imperative function of the Association, how the different perspectives create better understanding of issues, and what people can do to get involved.

The Oklahoma Senate literally debated the COLA as Fried Okra was recording on Friday morning. We spoke with our legislative expert, Amanda Ewing, about what people can do to help ensure this COLA finally makes it way to our retirees after 12 years without.

Call Governor Stitt and tell him to sign the COLA bill at (405) 521-2342 or find the "Contact" tab on governor.ok.gov.

We also are joined by Amber England, spokesperson for State Question 802, about how its passage would improve the lives of every Oklahoman, including our students and schools, without any cost to public education.