As oil boom goes bust, Oklahoma protects drillers and squeezes schools
Source: Reuters
After intense lobbying, Oklahomas oilmen scored a victory two years ago. State lawmakers voted to keep in place some of the lowest taxes on oil and gas production in the United States - a break worth $470 million in fiscal year 2015 alone.
The states schools havent 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 wont be renewed because of funding cuts. Broadmoores class sizes are expected to rise next year as a result.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-oklahoma-bust-specialreport-idUSKCN0Y81RL
turbinetree
(24,703 posts)turning a country into a third rate state, it is failing the young to compete against the world, that thinks the young should not be able to achieve there goals, based on a business model that has no future, because the product is a finite product-------------------and lets not forget the Koch's and there ilk are somewhere in the weeds on and in this issue, look at what they did to Kansas
This is just disgusting, these high and mighty republicans in this state saying that oil is more important, where there illustrious Inhofe on this issue, no where, but taking the Koch money -------------------children are being punished, because this state and twenty-six other republican controlled states have there proverbial heads stuck up in there --------------------------and will not think of energy except it coming out of ground for the few--------------------------
This is the future
Nihil
(13,508 posts)apnu
(8,758 posts)Everybody else goes to the back of the bus.