My Letter to Representative Strohm

Representative Strohm,

My name is Claudia Swisher. I live in Norman and am long-time resident of Oklahoma. I taught for 39 years, 34 in Oklahoma. I retired 'early' because I was so disgusted by the spate of reforms in our state and knew by retiring I could avoid them. Unfortunately my three granddaughter are not so lucky.

I am a voter. 

As a life-long educator in public schools, as a parent and grandparent of public school students, as a citizen of this state who has watched the systematic strangling of public education, I am frustrated with your recent remarks during the debate about HB1522. This was a good bill. It would assure public funding going to private schools was well spent. It would give accountability for private schools receiving vouchers at the public's expense. It would force private schools to prove students were learning.

Even ALEC, the model-legislation source for too many of Oklahoma's bills, included accountability measures in their ESA model legislation. I see that ALEC is one of your contributors, as were Koch Industries, and I am not surprised. I wonder why you part with ALEC on the subject of accountability.

Your remarks about public school being ‘shackled’ under constraints are absolutely true. We are shackled by the deepest cuts to education in the nation. We are shackled by TLE and by A-F. We are shackled by a third-grade flunk law, and 8th grade reading requirements based on an English Language Arts test. We are shackled by high school graduation testing that means nothing to colleges or employers. 

We are shackled, and the Oklahoma Legislature has gleefully shackled us. Deliberately. We are shackled by legislators who have no working knowledge of school finance, assessment, curriculum, but feel great license to interfere in our work.

IF private schools are all the better for their freedom from shackles, then think what public schools could accomplish with the same freedom.  Why are you deliberately creating two unequal education systems for the children of Oklahoma? Why perpetrate systems with different requirements? Why not support public education?

One more statement I heartily disagree with is your contention that private school parents are more 'engaged' in their students' education. I hope Mama Bears all over the state arise and show you the wrongness of that statement. Parents in private schools may or may not be engaged, but they most probably have more time in which to engage. I would guess that few private school parents are working two low-wage jobs in order to make ends meet. I'm guessing few private school parents struggle with transportation to and from work, are unable to attend school events, or are flat-out too tired to go up to the school and sell popcorn during recess. 

Your callous dismissal of public school parents is wrong. It is judgmental. It is smug entitlement pretending to care.

So, now, because of your words and your vote, private schools in Oklahoma who receive taxpayer funding have been given carte blanche. They know we won't be watching. They know there will be no accountability. They know there will be no oversight. 

I ask, with deepest sarcasm, "What could possibly go wrong?"

I am on the record as objecting with every cell in my body, to one penny of my tax contribution to public schools going to a private school in the form of a voucher. One. Penny. 

I am on record that you are on the wrong side of this debate, but the school choice contributors to your campaign must be feeling pleased with their investment. 

You cheated public school students. You insulted public school parents. 

Claudia Swisher

Obviously, I let my anger simmer for awhile. Here is the link to Niky Shobert's letter he received yesterday. He needs to know we are NOT going to ignore his remarks.

We might want to remind Rep. Strohm, who is from the Jenks area, that our new Superintendent of Schools, Joy Hofmeister, is an engaged public school parent...from Jenks.