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Senate review by Senator Susan Paddack
This past Monday marked the first day of the 2010 legislative session. Members of the House and Senate convened in joint session to hear Governor Brad Henry deliver his final State of the State address. Most Oklahomans are keenly aware by now that our state, like the rest of the nation, is still in the grips of a very serious recession. It is a fact that must be acknowledged, and one that will certainly impact nearly every vote we cast this year.
It was a fact that was duly noted by Governor Henry, but despite the tremendous challenges facing us, he was able to make some very important and positive points about our state—where we’ve been, what we’ve accomplished, and where we need to go in order to better enable all our citizens to live the fullest, best lives possible.
I’ve been an educator and I have had the privilege of serving as co-chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education as well as chair of the Senate Education Committee. I’ve seen first-hand the progress we’ve made in all areas of education. We’ve raised the bar, and as Governor Henry pointed, we are already seeing results.
Our governor rightly stated that because of the legislation known as ACE, which stands for Achieving Classroom Excellence, academic standards and accountability in the classroom of both been raised. I was honored to have worked on the ACE legislation, which the Governor pointed out has led Oklahoma to rank among the top 10 states in American for standards and accountability.
A fundamental element in our efforts to grow Oklahoma’s economy is increasing the number of college-educated citizens in our state. We’ve made that dream a reality, by enabling free access to college credit through concurrent enrollment programs for high school students and Oklahoma’s Promise, a scholarship program that has helped thousands of students attend college who would not have otherwise had the resources to do so. Because of these efforts, Oklahoma is now 10th in the nation in the percentage of students enrolled in public higher education, and one of only 12 states to increase the percentage of adults with bachelors’ degrees this decade.
While it is true that we are facing tremendous economic challenges, it is just as true that the current recession will eventually end and our economy will recovery. Until then, we must work together to build on our successes, particularly in education, so that our state and our economy will emerge even stronger than before.
As always if you have a question about a legislative matter, please do not hesitate to contact my office at (405) 521-5541 or by email at paddack@oksenate.gov. Also, we are now able to send this column to you via e-mail. If you would like to be added to our e-mail distribution list, please let us know. May God Bless you!
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