Statewide Charter School Board Defies Court Order, AG Demands Action on St. Isidore Contract
The Statewide Charter School Board continues to defy an Oklahoma Supreme Court order to rescind its contract with St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Charter School — the would-be first in the nation publicly funded religious school. Attorney General Gentner Drummond is again demanding the board act.
The state supreme court on Monday rejected a request to stay its order to rescind the contract in a 7-1 decision.
The board is expected to file an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court soon.
Also on Monday, Attorney General Drummond sent a letter to the Statewide Charter School Board saying that for 39 days it has blatantly ignored the court’s order and that he expects a vote on rescission to be on the agenda at next week’s board meeting.
Drummond goes on to tell the board’s members they are public officials under Oklahoma law, and must immediately rescind St. Isidore’s contract as ordered.
State Superintendent Questions Cost of Illegal Immigration on Schools
State Superintendent Ryan Walters wants to know the “cost and burden” illegal immigration has on Oklahoma’s public schools. But one Oklahoma City charter school superintendent says students without legal immigration status – and their families – are important to his district’s bottom line.
Santa Fe South Superintendent Chris Brewster says his district, like many others, doesn’t ask families about the immigration status of their students.
"According to the 1982 Supreme Court ruling, Plyler vs. Doe, no public school may refuse to serve any student who applies, regardless of their immigration status," said Brewster.
And each enrolled student translates to an allocated dollar amount for their district.
Notwithstanding their immigration status, children who speak a language other than English at home, live in poverty, or have disabilities requiring an individualized education program, come with extra federal and state dollars attached.
Brewster says such students often bring in more money than they cost to educate, which in the end, helps all students.
Barnsdall's Largest Employer Shuts Down After Tornado Damage
A century old chemical refinery is the city of Barnsdall’s largest employer, but not for much longer. The plant’s corporate owners say they no longer plan to rebuild it after heavy tornado damage in May.
The EF-4 tornado left 2 dead, 33 injured and a trail of destroyed buildings.
Among them was the NuCera Solutions chemical refinery, which manufactures specialty polymers.
Its corporate owners say they no longer plan to rebuild the facility like they’d previously announced. That means 93 jobs will disappear, hugely affecting the community of about 1,000 people.
Barnsdall Mayor Johnny Kelley says the news came as a surprise.
"The talk before now has been about the rebuild. They actually reskinned all the buildings in our school colors. So everything was really positive and going forward," Kelley said.
Kelley says he hopes someone will buy and reopen the refinery, but for now he’s focusing on clearing the debris so people can rebuild their homes.
State Seeking Feedback on EV Chargers
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is seeking feedback on a plan to install more electric vehicle charging stations along major highways.
This is the second phase of a $66-million project to build EV infrastructure in the state.
During the first phase, ODOT allocated $9 million to begin constructing charging stations at 13 sites along the I-35, I-40 and I-44 corridors.
The EV Plan is posted online and comments will be accepted through Monday, Aug. 19.
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