So a deal got done after all, and we can all start educating again. What a relief!
Last week, the Oklahoma Legislature announced and passed an agreement to increase common education appropriations by $625 million, with another $160 million supporting school safety and reading specialist programs over the next three years. The funding moved through the Legislature quickly and unlocked a related tax credit bill for homeschool and private school families, even though a couple of weeks earlier it looked like discussions between House and Senate leaders were stuck in a stalemate.
Negotiations were helped along by former Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Steven Taylor, who served as mediator in crunch time. Taylor’s presence and mediation skills — which reportedly included shuttle diplomacy up and down the stairs at the Governor’s Mansion — were praised by all parties. Even though Taylor was not paid for his services, Gov. Kevin Stitt joked that he needed to buy the McAlester attorney a gift certificate to Pete’s Place. (I expect journalists will follow up with the governor and press him on the matter.)
Regardless, everyone knows that when you need a hit in a pinch, you call up a heavy hitter. In this case, he likely used a gavel.
Past Sundaze comics
Welcome to the whirlwind of graduation season
All aboard? Coordinating an Edmond, Norman, OKC commuter rail vote
Dunkin’ on each other for ‘Donuts with the Governor’
Oklahoma’s turnpike expansion plan faces road blocks
Easter Sundaze: Trying to save a dime in the egg aisle
Preserving Hafer Park memories: Welcome to paradise
Oklahoma’s Broadband Office and the mystery of missing meeting minutes
March Madness 2023: So your bracket is in shambles
Will the Oklahoma House lock in Daylight Saving Time?
SQ 820: We’ve got another election on our hands
Cockfighting fight turns back time at Oklahoma Capitol
Valentine voting: For the love of democracy
Last week on This Old Attorney General’s Office
Budget hearing previews the last ride of Mark McBride
Plenty of cooks in the Oklahoma education kitchen
Here’s looking at you, me: The two jobs of Ryan Walters
Compared to recent years, 2022 seemed tolerable
‘This is a BFD’: The romance of nuclear fusion heats up
Weird local rules mean extra Edmond elections
2022 World Cup draws cause cultural comparisons
Straight party voting throws quite a rager in Oklahoma
An ‘I voted’ sticker is the prize for enduring all these ads
Halloween can be a tough time to mind your diet
Answer the question? The art of political dodgeball
How hideous can the Ugly Season get before it’s over?
Down goes Dumpty: OKC Egg Church has a great fall
Many options for brand synergy in the OKC film industry
This season includes new adventures in OU tailgating
SQ 820: Don’t bogart that initiative petition, my friend
Appreciating a brief splash on OKC’s art timeline
New OKC arena proposal benefits from public discussion
Burn it down: Sun exacts revenge on Earth
Project Carrot: Oklahoma weighs battery plant options
Gov. Kevin Stitt asks Auditor Cindy Byrd for a TPS report
Epic affidavit makes for light reading over lunch
Recognize the old man’s wisdom this Father’s Day
What would convince Markwayne Mullin to debate?
Overtime: The match continues with special sessions
Professor Swadley and the cheese-melting machine
Call me Tag Agent: In Catoosa, a replacement steps up
Where Mother’s Day comes sweeping down the plain
It’s a tough life being ‘The Patriot’
