Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett and the City Council are joining the fight for restored state funding to public schools.
At a Monday morning press conference, Bartlett and City Council Chairman G.T. Bynum signed a resolution seeking more education funding from the state for the 2012-13 academic year.
The resolution was recently adopted by a unanimous vote of the City Council.
"They need to ask themselves, 'What are our core services?' I believe the answer is education -- that is a core service of the state of Oklahoma," Bartlett said, referring to the governor and Legislature. "They have to set a priority where they put education at the top of their list."
Tulsa Metro Chamber officials also attended the press conference in support of the council resolution.
Tulsa Superintendent Keith Ballard, as well as Kirby Lehman and Cathy Burden from the Jenks and Union school districts, thanked city leaders for their support.
"We are coming off a very frustrating year," Burden said, noting that Union Public Schools has lost more than $6.5 million in state funding since 2008.
"To know our City Council, our mayor and that our chamber of commerce is all united to make education a true priority is very rewarding not only for us as educators here today, but the many teachers and many parents who know that education of the students in public schools in Oklahoma is the highest priority we can have for our future."
Ballard explained that after several years of dramatic state funding reductions, flat funding from the state for 2012-13 will result in further cuts because schools face increased costs of doing business every year.
"We really are facing very dire circumstances in our schools right now. If there is no new money put into education, we have reached a point where the quality of schools will be impacted," he said.
Jenks' Lehman said his district's philosophy has been to preserve quality programs, but that has required many sacrifices when it comes to staffing levels for classroom teachers.
"When you have diminished funding and you don't eliminate programs, you increase class sizes," he said. "It astounds me that any legislator could look at the potential of bringing new businesses into our state without examining funding for public education first. That is all we are seeking -- fair and appropriate funding."
City Councilor Karen Gilbert said she would be departing immediately for Oklahoma City to personally deliver the resolution to state legislators.
"We are so hoping our representatives down the turnpike will hear our concerns," she said.
Bynum said he received a "world-class education" at Tulsa's Eliot Elementary School and that he and his wife chose to raise their own children in Tulsa because they expected them to receive no less.
"We felt this was the best place in the whole world for our kids to grow up," Bynum said. "Any notion that my kids, as they get ready to go into elementary school wouldn't have the same opportunities, the same level of quality of education is totally unacceptable, so I'm just very proud of the city of Tulsa today for standing with our colleagues from area public schools to speak with one voice in support of quality public education for kids that live here in Tulsa."
Read more on this story in tomorrow's Tulsa World.
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