Four stories that were trending or generated discussion online or on KGOU’s social media platforms during the past week.
The state’s largest school district has to cut $30 million from its budget by the end of the fiscal year, and students aren’t happy about it. Oklahoma City Public Schools voted this week to end the school year two days early. On Monday, hundreds of students at U.S. Grant High School in Oklahoma City staged a demonstration to voice their displeasure with overcrowding, and a lack of teachers and staff. A few days later students from the Classen School of Advanced Studies took their message to the Oklahoma Capitol to meet with lawmakers about the funding crisis in education.
Reader ProfessorSteven Collins writes on Facebook: “I'm happy to see the students taking part in this process. I just hope people are listening.”
On Thursday the Oklahoma Senate gave final legislative approval to a piece of legislation that would’ve made abortion a felony in Oklahoma – punishable by prison time and the revocation of the medical license of the doctor who performed the procedure. Two physicians serving in the Senate and House – state Sen. Ervin Yen (R-Oklahoma City) and state Rep. Doug Cox (R-Grove) – both opposed the measure, even though they described themselves as pro-life. Gov. Mary Fallin vetoed the bill the day after it crossed her desk on grounds that the language was too vague, although she did clarify that her staunch anti-abortion position has not changed.
Reader Katrina Lynam-Henderson writes on Facebook: “I wonder if they have the votes to override the veto...cause if they do, and she knew that when she vetoed it, then this is nothing less than doing something to make herself look good and have the law passed just the same.”
On Thursday, a three-year-old Oklahoma City energy company founded by the late oil tycoon Aubrey McClendon announced plans to close its doors for good. American Energy Partners said after consulting with McClendon’s family, they agreed to shutter the company. About half of the remaining 100 employees at the company were laid off this week, and the rest will help wind business down over the next 2-4 months. At its peak, the private affiliates manager raised $15 billion dollars and had 800 employees. But that was largely due to McClendon’s leadership, and the company’s future wasn’t clear after he was killed in a car crash in March. His death came just a day after he was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice in a bid-rigging scheme.
Reuters: Oklahoma ‘Protected Drillers And Squeezed Schools’ When Oil Went Bust
An investigation published by Reuters this week draws a link between Oklahoma’s education funding crisis and the gradual cutting of gross production taxes during the early-2010s oil boom. Even as prices soared past $100 a barrel and oil output doubled, gross production tax collections fell by 32 percent. Prices eventually dipped below $30 per barrel earlier this year. Even though they’re starting to rebound, more than 100 districts in the state are facing four-day school weeks, and thousands of teachers’ jobs are in jeopardy.
Reader Kellee Youkhana writes on Facebook: “Doesn't surprise me, but still makes me sick.”
That’s a look at four stories that audiences appreciated on KGOU’s social media and online platforms this week. We’re always interested in your comments, feel free to write to us at news@kgou.org.
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