Cockroft Column - Cronyism and Failure in Oklahoma's Education Department

   

Although I continue to be an advocate for education reform, I think it is clear the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi is the wrong person for the job. Not only has she continued to fail state schools on a number of leadership fronts, she has now resorting to cronyism in her hiring practices, which is almost comical considering how little time there will be until a new superintendent cleans house.

    My colleague State Representative Jason Smalley, myself, and many others are calling for the resignation of Barresi and two staffers, Dr. Larry Birney and Kim Richey. The hire of Dr. Birney resulted in the resignation of a longtime and respected member of the office, Lynn Jones. Birney, who has not worked in education before, was the spouse of Kim Richey, the general counsel. Hiring him was not illegal, but Oklahomans have long recognized nepotism or cronyism as an immoral practice in state government. When it causes good employees to resign, it is effectively burning down the house before the new superintendent comes on. A new position was created to hire Birney, which also means taxpayer dollars were spent to fund this nepotism to the tune of $90,000 per year. 

    Due to this situation, I am looking into possible legislation which would prevent outgoing state officials and lawmakers who have been defeated in their election from making non-essential hires or creating new positions. I believe if an individual has been defeated within the democratic process, their constituents have clearly spoken their desire to move on. There should be no reasonable reason to create new positions or hire for non-essential positions. Unfortunately, this latest move is not uncommon in state government. Oftentimes outgoing officials will spend budgets and hire individuals rapidly, leaving very little for their successor to begin with. Simple legislation could fix this problem. 

    After last week’s release of the latest A-F scores, I am hearing of and seeing the failures in the implementation of the A-F grading system. A lot of money that could have been put into other projects has now gone down the drain as we continue to push a testing system that has not been properly calibrated or executed. I think the A-F system was an ambitious project to infuse accountability and transparency into our educational system. However, it’s implementation has been horrible at best. It needs to include a great deal of input from local schools during every step of the process and to this point, state officials have refused to do this. Many factors such as attendance rates and poverty levels are graded, putting rural schools at an immediate disadvantage. While many schools within my district continue to struggle based upon the state’s grading system, I will continue to stand by them because I know the other side of the story. Instead of seeing a letter grade based on incomplete data, I see administrators, teachers, and parents alike who put everything they have into our local schools. We aren’t without our struggles for sure, but I have much more confidence in them than our state does. 

    Change cannot come soon enough to the highest education office in Oklahoma. I look forward to working with whoever replaces Barresi as we try to create positive momentum for Oklahoma students.

Cockroft Column: Knowing The Numbers In State Government

Every year as we inch closer to opening a new legislative session in Oklahoma, the debates of spending priorities and budget needs begin with renewed fury. It has always been fascinating to me as I have presided over budget hearings in January to hear agency heads and lobbyist groups advocate for additional dollars every year. Only a small handful of times have I heard them ask for less taxpayer funds to properly operate. While there is always a demand for appropriations to deliver needed services, as a conservative I believe in asking the tough questions of how we can better spend the taxpayer dollar. Efficiency and reduction in government, paired with growth and prosperity in the private sector is always an amiable goal. However, this is seldom the rhetoric coming from Washington, D.C., or even Oklahoma City.

Many times we are told by agencies, the media, and individuals alike that there is a growing need for more money within our government structure. We are told year after year areas such as education, health care, and public safety have dire needs for more funds. We are told there aren’t enough appropriations to go around and that agencies will be forced to make dangerous cuts. I would simply caution against such language and would instead point to the real numbers.

The most recent fiscal year ended on June 30, and the data shows that state government revenues are actually at an all-time high. Preston Doerflinger, Oklahoma’s Secretary of Finance, Administration, and Information Technology, reported earlier in the summer the general revenue fund maintained levels from the prior year and even exceeded them slightly. Last time I checked, that’s not a deficit.

But it’s not just the general revenue fund which has grown. According to Secretary Doerflinger and State Treasurer Ken Miller, total state tax collections set another record. Treasurer Miller reported in his recent summary: “Gross receipts to the treasury, a good snapshot of our state’s productivity, incomes, and consumption, are higher than ever before .... Collections have been higher than the same month of the prior year in 45 of the past 51 months, which indicates a steady economic expansion.”

Remember, all of this comes after a decade of eliminating death taxes and cutting the top personal income tax rate by 25 percent. During that same time the standard deduction increased and a child tax credit was added for many Oklahomans. All of these actions were claimed by critics to be the decimation of Oklahoma’s economy. The numbers don’t lie; these critics were wrong.

Unfortunately for Oklahomans, the same statistic which stated revenues were at an all-time high, show that state government spending is also at an all-time high. In my experience in the legislature, lawmakers are much too willing to spend taxpayer dollars without hesitation while hiding under the “conservative” label.

Obviously, most state spending is needed and is even directed towards the proper needs. However, it doesn’t take long to see the low hanging fruit which needs to be trimmed. Countless other areas need to be re-prioritized to assure every penny is being used wisely. It’s what most of us do in our daily, personal lives. Why not in state government?

It is always a pleasure to serve you! I can always be reached through my Capitol office at (405) 557-7349 and by email at:Josh.Cockroft@okhouse.gov. Additionally, you can follow me on Facebook: Representative Josh Cockroft, Twitter: @VoteCockroft27, and at www.FriendsofJoshCockroft.com. My door is always open to you.

Cockroft Column - Workers' Comp Improving, Earthquakes on the Radar

It wasn't long ago that Oklahoma's workers' compensation system was one of the hottest political topics. For decades Republicans and Democrats alike fought for meaningful reform of an antiquated compensation system. The skyrocketing costs and abuse of that system finally saw a remedy when we passed a measure which I was an author of in 2013. The measure set up an administrative system which we are now seeing the positive results of.

Last week, the National Council on Compensation Insurance reported that workers' compensation rates will decrease by 7.8 percent for next year. This follows on the last year's report of a 14.6 percent cost decline. The State Chamber of Oklahoma estimates that since workers' comp reform was passed in the state, Oklahoma businesses have saved more than $220 million. It is by far not a perfect system, but we have taken great leaps of improvement.

The workers' comp reform was not made lightly, without deliberation and discussion of the best way to move forward. Many opponents of the reforms were concerned whether we would really see positive changes in rates. These results prove that these reforms are working.

Likewise, we are now approaching the issues of earthquakes in the same deliberate manner. Over the last several years in Oklahoma, earthquakes have become one of the newest concerns. Questions have abounded of how Oklahoma can make policy decisions which protects its citizens, while protecting the free market system and protecting freedom to our businesses and the energy sector.

Gov. Mary Fallin has recently created a panel to coordinate earthquake studies in the state. The Coordinating Council on Seismic Activity will connect researchers, officials and energy industry experts. Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment Michael Teague will lead the panel. It will include input from the Oklahoma Geological Survey, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board, Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association and the Oklahoma Oil and Gas Association.

According to the Oklahoma Geological Survey, 3.0 magnitude or greater earthquakes have increased from an average of less than 5 to about 40 a year. There were more than 200 this year so far. Some studies have pointed to natural causes while others have pointed to the oil and natural gas industry.

I am highly concerned about what these earthquakes mean for homeowners and public safety. Will they get worse? Do we need to require earthquake coverage? Do we need to limit what techniques can be practiced in close vicinity to property? We really haven't received a clear answer. Trying to get a bird's eye view by coordinating the studies is an important first step in figuring out the state's course going forward.

I will always fight to protect conservative principles and against overreaching state and local government. However, we must ask some tough questions to see whether state government is doing everything within its power to place our state in a safe position. This is treading on new ground for our state. I look forward to being part of the discussion over the next few years.

It is always a pleasure to serve you! I can be reached through my Capitol office at (405) 557-7349 and by email at:Josh.Cockroft@okhouse.gov. My door is always open to you.