Summer wrap up...
Dear Friends – While this morning brought clouds and a little moisture, it appears that we still have some dog days of summer in the forecast. Some of you experienced turbulent hours in early August spawning memories of the 2006 microburst! Expo Square officials reported some storm damage and I noticed several downed trees and a few carports that were a long way from home.
With school bells ringing for most of our neighborhood children, there are still many unanswered questions regarding the education budget for the school year. School administrators are wrestling with how to pay for benefit allowances for teacher’s insurance, facing another year where the National Board certified teachers will not receive their stipend for certification, and keeping classroom size manageable.
Despite state budget challenges, Tulsa Public School’s reorganization efforts to serve 43,000 children in a system once serving over 80,000, is underway. I am proud of our teachers, families and administrators who are meeting the challenge to educate our children with an open mind and “can do” attitude. I look forward to the next few weeks as the school yards are full of young voices and we drive carefully in school zones to watch youth taking their beginning steps into a new school year. Thank you to those of you are standing in new classroom settings this week facing excited and anxious faces looking to you for leadership. Thanks to those parents who bring their children to the schoolhouse doors in anticipation of a great learning experience for our children.
Much of my time since “sine die” in late May was spent in Ohio caring for my father who passed away in late July. However, I was able to keep in touch with our district through my Oklahoma City office, emails and phone calls. I thank you for your patience with responses to correspondence. Please know I was able to read local papers and stay on top of the news! Most of you have shared this experience. We have all lost loved ones. These losses remind us our lives are so enriched from the touch of loving family members and friends.
Unfortunately, you were experiencing a horrible heat wave coupled with drought conditions! I was struck by the number of shrubs and trees we’ve lost in midtown. The heat seems to radiate from the parking lots and driveways when one steps outside. Hopefully, the worst of the heat is over.
I wanted to bring you news of interim activity at the legislature. Fall is the time of year when we hold interim studies. These are 1-2 hour hearings before committees where issues can be presented and discussed with an eye toward finding “best practices” used in other states or just an opportunity to examine processes and procedures to evaluate effectiveness. So – this is the time of year legislators will be attending these meetings to listen and hold conversations regarding concerns our Speaker has agreed are important to our quality of life in Oklahoma. In some cases the interim studies (often originating from constituents) can result in bills the following session. By December – we will all have our bills ready to be drafted for the introduction in January in preparation for Session beginning in February. Remember we often have as many as 2,000 bills introduced each session.
Please stay in touch as your insight is important to me and let me know if you have questions about issues throughout the district. I am looking forward to working with you this fall on any issues that you may find important. As always, you can reach me at my Capitol office at (800) 522-8502, or at home (918)834-3259. Summer wrap up links can be found at the bottom of this page.
Sincerely,
Jeannie McDaniel
Oklahoma State Representative, House District 78
2011 LEGISATIVE SESSION WEEKLY UPDATES FOR DOWNLOAD:
WEEKLY UPDATE 1
WEEKLY UPDATE 2
WEEKLY UPDATE 3
WEEKLY UPDATE 4
WEEKLY UPDATE 5
WEEKLY UPDATE 6
WEEKLY UPDATE 7
HOUSE BILLS PASSED TO SENATE 3.17.11
WEEKLY UPDATE 8
