ballengerpixAn estimated 25,000 Oklahomans will come to the Capitol today to rally for increased education funding. 
Those who come to the rally should encourage lawmakers to revisit the old adage that there‚Äôs no such thing as a free lunch.  You can‚Äôt have a top notch education system with bottom of the barrel funding, and you can‚Äôt get improved results by simply demanding them.
The governor is calling for a $50 million increase in funding for education, which is a drop in the bucket of the state‚Äôs budget.  This is largely a symbolic gesture.  The kind of increases needed to make a tangible difference in public schools are simply out of our reach, and this is due in large part to tax policy that drains revenue from essential state services.  We continue to slash the income tax, while preserving tax credits for big business in an attempt to have it both ways.  Predictably, the end result is a budget shortfall, even in a period of economic growth.
And yet, Republicans are pushing for further tax cuts, even as we are forced to reduce funding for most state agencies by 5 percent.  The math simply doesn‚Äôt add up.  This is the sort of thing that can happen when you are more committed to ideology than you are to what actually works.
It is my hope that Oklahoma‚Äôs business leaders become more involved in encouraging investments in our schools and provide more input on education reform policy.  If Republican lawmakers are willing to heed their advice on taxes and regulatory policy, perhaps their input on school funding would be just as effective.
Oklahoma business leaders know our economic growth will always be limited by our inability to produce a more educated workforce.  Most would support broad increases in funding for K-12 schools.  Sending 25,000 Oklahomans to the Capitol will send a message, but it may not be enough.  Every Oklahoman who cares about the future of our schools and the quality of the education we provide our children should be engaged in the process, and ask their legislators to enact meaningful funding increases for education.
To contact me at the Capitol, please write to Senator Roger Ballenger, State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. Room 528A, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105, or call (405) 521-5588.  You can also email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..