Tuition for illegal immigrants
New Jersey won’t be joining the short list of states allowing undocumented students to attend college at in-state tuition rates. The effect, supporters said, is that children will be punished for the actions of their illegal immigrant parents and likely won’t attend college at all. The measure’s failure is rightfully disappointing although the in-state tuition denial has become a politically popular choice in many states. While higher education is not a right, it’s an opportunity that ought to be as widely available as possible for those who want it. Banning students who were young and had no say when their family immigrated slams shut the door of opportunity for many of those students who simply cannot afford the much higher price tag of out-of-state tuition. What good comes from that?
Judgment day
An Ardmore mother will find her bank account about $3,000 lighter because her high school-age daughter kept missing school. Here’s hoping parents will get the message prosecutor Craig Ladd was aiming for. “Parents have several responsibilities when it comes to their children,” Ladd told The Daily Ardmoreite. “One responsibility that gets overlooked by some parents is making their children attend school, and we take school attendance very seriously. This case is good example of just how costly that failed responsibility can be.” Indeed. Schools have cracked down on truancy in recent years, knowing that students don’t learn if they’re not in school and because attendance rates now factor into the state’s school rating system. The ideal solution has students back in class before the case hits the court system. But when that doesn’t work, parents shouldn’t be surprised if they find themselves in front of a judge.
Just the facts
Tensions are high over a school deregulation bill. Is it too much to expect top education officials to keep the debate in the adult realm? Last week, some members of the state education board weren’t shy in expressing their displeasure. One exchange had a board member saying supporters of Senate Bill 834 were drinking “Republican whiskey.” Really? That nonsense is on top of the fear tactics the Oklahoma Education Association and some other opponents are employing. All involved should just stick to the truth. Doing so would still leave plenty of room for sincere debate.
Final bell
Not for 20 years had the bell sounded. Not until last week, when a wife and two little girls said a final goodbye to a husband and father that the rest of us knew as a hero. Cpl. Christopher Dill was a 15-year-veteran of the Oklahoma City Fire Department and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corp. He died March 4 after collapsing while fighting at three-alarm apartment fire and was buried last week. The bell signaling a fallen firefighter sounded at his funeral for the first time since three firefighters died in 1989. All we can say is thank you to him and his family, and yet that hardly seems sufficient for a man who not once but twice took on jobs to protect others. Thank you, and God bless the loved ones left behind.
Helping children
It’s a shame that a group that does so much for children is finding itself mired in financial controversy. The Oklahoma CASA Association is made up mostly of volunteers that act as advocates for abused and neglected children as their cases proceed through the court system. Anna Naukam, the association’s director, was fired in October, and now agency officials are challenging the legitimacy of large credit card debt issued to Naukam on the agency’s behalf. The Oklahoman’s Ann Kelley reported that the credit card statements were mailed to Naukam’s home. The state auditor and inspector’s office is involved, and we hope the problems will be resolved quickly. Nothing should distract from the good work of CASA volunteers.
Party time’s over
It’s no secret that Angela Monson is one of the most well-known and respected women in the state’s Democratic Party. Good for her. But her position as the new chairman of the Oklahoma City School Board is nonpartisan, and she must avoid any appearance to the contrary. Oklahoma County’s Democratic Party was active in her election. She was even scheduled to be a “special guest” at a party-sponsored fundraising event this week. Monson was only sworn into the post on Monday; she hasn’t had time to set the tone for the board she now leads. The county party isn’t at fault for inviting Monson. Only she can make clear that she’ll keep party politics or her affiliation with any agenda-specific groups at arm’s length. She must do just that, in reality and perception.
Party time’s over
It’s no secret that Angela Monson is one of the most well-known and respected women in the state’s Democratic Party. Good for her. But her position as the new chairman of the Oklahoma City School Board is nonpartisan, and she must avoid any appearance to the contrary. Oklahoma County’s Democratic Party was active in her election. She was even scheduled to be a “special guest” at a party-sponsored fundraising event this week. Monson was only sworn into the post on Monday; she hasn’t had time to set the tone for the board she now leads. The county party isn’t at fault for inviting Monson. Only she can make clear that she’ll keep party politics or her affiliation with any agenda-specific groups at arm’s length. She must do just that, in reality and perception.
Wasting time
Tough budget times tend to leave lawmakers with too much time on their hands. We’re glad to see they didn’t waste much time on yet another unnecessary proposal that would infuse science classes with faith and morality discussions. Science teachers and their students already have sufficient freedom to explore scientific issues. Teachers must use their best judgment in guiding the discussion and keeping students on track. The proposed Scientific Education and Academic Freedom Act, which was killed in a Senate committee this week, and similar bills would just further muddy the academic waters. Lawmakers should stick to problems that need fixing. Academic freedom in the science classroom isn’t one of them.
Leadership appreciated
Kirk Humphreys barely had a chance to get started as chairman of the Oklahoma City School Board before voters bid him a hasty exit in favor of former state Sen. Angela Monson. We’re nonetheless grateful for Humphreys’ leadership during that short time, including his input in the hiring of Superintendent Karl Springer and his efforts to massage a 2007 bond issue plan so schools will get the promised projects without a tax increase. We hope history will prove that one MAPS for Kids legacy is proven leaders taking a renewed and active interest in the school district’s affairs. Patrons were fortunate to have two quality candidates to choose from in the first-ever chairman’s election. Who could’ve foreseen 10 years ago that a former mayor and former state senator would run against each other for school board?
Economic development endowment funding
Will the envy from the other end of the turnpike ever end? Doubtful. Reaction to Gov. Brad Henry’s State of the State speech is the latest evidence. Henry called for lawmakers to approve a dedicated funding source for the EDGE endowment, boosting the amount of money that can be used for research and growing the principal. The Tulsa World’s reaction was to call into question – once again – whether Tulsa was unfairly shut out of the first round of funding awards. While calling the fund’s goals “laudable,” an editorial noted the awards’ “apparent imbalance” that tilted toward the Oklahoma City area. The newspaper had a similar reaction when the awards were announced late last year. The fund’s oversight board reviewed nearly 100 proposals before deciding on five to split the $12 million in available funding. One of the projects proposed creating 100 jobs in Oklahoma City. Does that mean it’s time for Tulsa to cry discrimination? Hardly. To question the integrity of the selection process based on one year’s results is presumptuous, to say the least. It would be fabulous for the state if the EDGE fund can eventually finance projects in every corner of the state and at many points in between. But merit not geography must be the determining factor.
