Oklahoma Watch (https://oklahomawatch.org/series/education-watch/page/2/)
Students attending one of Oklahoma’s four-year public colleges or universities paid $1,192 extra in tuition this year compared to 2008, according to a report released this week by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Changes to Oklahoma’s third grade reading retention law could double the number of students at risk of repeating the grade, but it also keeps parents involved in that process for another three years.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister fired 10 people and saw another 14 resign during her first 3.5 months at the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
The Oklahoma Senate passed an amended bill that allows the cities of Tulsa and Oklahoma City to create charter schools. Similar legislation failed to gain traction earlier this session.
Federal data shows high suspension rates of black students in Oklahoma City Public Schools starts as early as elementary school. An internal district audit shows black students are two to three times more than white students to be suspended in middle and high school.
The Oklahoma Senate approved amendments a bill that allows charter schools to be created in any part of the state. The vote means the bill now heads to Gov. Mary Fallin for final approval.
An Oklahoma community college is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education over concerns it violated federal financial aid regulations.
A bill Gov. Mary Fallin signed into law Thursday prohibits school districts from automatically deducting union dues from teachers paychecks. Fallin said the law doesn’t affect collective bargaining.
The state Department of Education said the state’s new test vendor is monitoring social media to look for problems administering this year’s test and not to track students to see if they are cheating.
A bill prohibiting school districts from automatically deducting union dues from teachers’ paychecks passed the state Senate Thursday, and is now headed to Gov. Mary Fallin’s desk.