Voting Registration Deadline
The deadline to register to vote for the upcoming state special election is quickly approaching. This election will decide State Question 820.
This Friday, Feb. 10th is the last day you can register to vote ahead of the March 7th State Special Election. Voters will decide State Question 820 concerning the legalization of recreational marijuana. Voter Registration Applications must be received by your county election board or postmarked no later than midnight Friday. Applications postmarked after that time will be accepted, but will not be processed until after the March 7 election.
Applications can be downloaded from the State Election Board website at elections.ok.gov. They are also available at your County Election Board, most post offices, tag agencies and public libraries.
Bill Themes This Session
During the latest edition of Capitol Insider, KGOU general manager Dick Pryor asks Quorum Call’s Shawn Ashley about themes of the bills filed for the new session. There’s something for everyone among the thousands of bills. But issues related to abortion, firearm regulations, and transgender children will be featured. And, of course, education.
"As usually is the case, there are a lot of bills related to education," Ashley said. "Nearly 300. Some deal with what should and what should not be taught in classrooms. Some would modify graduation requirements. And others support raises for teachers and support personnel."
You can hear the full conversation on our website, KGOU.org.
Rural Schools Initiative
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma are implementing a new initiative to get more counselors, social workers and behavior analysts in rural schools, which is being funded by a $5.6 million federal grant.
It’s called “Project Rural Innovation for Mental health Enhancement,” or PRIME. Its aim is to fill the gaps in rural school districts by recruiting and training 64 future counselors, social workers and behavior analysts from rural communities and paying for their graduate tuition, fees and costs while in the program. In exchange, graduates agree to serve two years in a rural, high-need school for every year they received program funding.
The project’s lead researcher, Brittany Hott, says rural communities have been clamoring to be part of the program.
"There’s so much need that this is just the start, and we’re hoping to create a ripple effect once we have this set of scholars trained," Hott said. "I want every district and every child in the state to have access to the services that they need and for the teachers and administrators to have the support that they need."
Hott says the team plans to reapply for the grant when it runs out in five years and expand the PRIME program even more.
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