Ryan Walters Sues Federal Authorities Over Immigrant Education Costs
State Superintendent Ryan Walters is suing federal authorities for costs related to educating immigrant children.
While Walters says those costs are in the hundreds of millions, court filings show no tally.
In a news release, Walters claims the cost of educating certain immigrant children amounts to $474 million.
He attributes the cost findings to his own “observed” increase in a need for teachers, tutors and transportation, among other things, he says, are specifically meant to educate “illegal immigrant children.”
There is no accounting showing how Walters arrived at his multi-hundred-million dollar number in his initial complaint, nor a stated period for which he counted dollars-for-services provided to these students.
Instead, court filings list services provided to children with U.S. Citizenship, permanent residence and no legal immigration status alike…based on whether English is their first language.
The federal government funds much of those services, by funneling money through the state and to its school districts.
Former Norman Teacher To Lead Oklahoma’s Largest Teachers Union
The Oklahoma Education Association is getting a new leader.
Oklahoma’s largest teachers union announced earlier Monday that its president has resigned.
Katherine Bishop had been president of OEA since 2021. She cites wanting to spend more time with her family as the reason for her resignation.
Bishop told the nonprofit news outlet Oklahoma Voice she “loved her time as an educator and would do it all over again.
OEA’s Vice President Cari Elledge will succeed Bishop.
Elledge worked as a fifth-grade teacher in Norman Public Schools for 15 years and has been the organization’s vice president since 2021.
The OEA Board of Directors chose Moore Spanish teacher Zach Grimm to serve as the vice-president elect.
Fire Destroys Nowata Public Works Facility, Equipment
The Nowata Public Works Authority lost its facility and everything stored there in a catastrophic fire early Tuesday morning.
The city was alerted to the fire at 1:30 a.m. Less than an hour later, the Public Works Authority building and everything on site was destroyed, including seven vehicles.
City Manager Melanie Ward told the Tulsa World newspaper the Public Works Authority still needs to maintain the city’s water system, sewers, streets, parks and cemeteries.
“They're responsible for all of the city maintenance, everything. We have enough if some… If a water main breaks, we'll be able to go fix it, but it might. - it's going to take us longer,” Ward said.
Officials are still assessing the scene of the fire and have not determined a cause, but Ward said it was likely an electrical issue.
State Agency Provides Free Radon Home Test Kits
A state agency is providing materials to test homes for high levels of radon.
The radioactive gas occurs naturally and is found in buildings nationwide.
Researchers say radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking and is in every state.
The gas comes from decaying uranium and while it poses little threat outdoors, it can accumulate indoors.
Oklahomans can request free home kits through the Department of Environmental Quality to test for the gas.
The initiative is funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which estimates one in 15 homes has high levels of radon.
This month, residents of Oklahoma can order a free kit through the Department of Environmental Quality to test their homes for high amounts of radon. The U.S. EPA suggests making repairs to homes with levels 4 picocuries per liter or higher.
An Oklahoma report from the American Lung Association using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Canadian County had the highest average levels of radon from 2008 to 2017. The data came from counties that completed more than 10 tests.
During the surveyed years, Oklahoma reported 814 tests in the state and ranked 25th for its radon levels.
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