When the oil boom went bust, Oklahoma protected drillers and squeezed schools

[n2doc]

By Luc Cohen and Joshua Schneyer

Filed May 17, 2016, 1:37 p.m. GMT
Oilmen won a big victory when legislators made permanent one of the juiciest tax breaks in the United States. Schools, meanwhile, are having to cut classes, administrators and teachers to make up a growing revenue shortfall.

NEWCASTLE, Oklahoma – After intense lobbying, Oklahoma’s oilmen scored a victory two years ago. State lawmakers voted to keep in place some of lowest taxes on oil and gas production in the United States - a break worth $470 million in fiscal year 2015 alone.

The state’s schools haven’t been so fortunate. In Newcastle, 23 miles from the capital of Oklahoma City, John Cerny recently learned that the school attended by his five-year-old granddaughter, Adelynn, will open just four days a week next year. The Bridge Creek school district will slash spending because of a projected $1.3 billion state budget shortfall next year.

Beth Lawton teaches first grade at Broadmoore Elementary in Moore, a city of 59,000 bordering the capital. In April, she and several colleagues were told their contracts won’t be renewed because of funding cuts. Broadmoore’s class sizes are expected to rise next year as a result.

“I think our lawmakers have failed us, and I don’t understand how little they value education,” Lawton said.

more
http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-oklahoma-bust/

[Orrex]

1. It's because the schools caused all of those earthquakes with their book-learnin'

[mountain grammy]

2. Yep

[KT2000]

3. when a major industry in a state

gets tax relief in order to keep the jobs - the schools suffer. The jobs kept involve families that are using the schools and infrastructure but no one bothers to think of that. They always think they can squeeze it out somewhere else.

States need to stop this race to the bottom.