Senate Passes SB 982 With Keating-esque Education Reforms

The Oklahoma State Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 982 Tuesday, a bill that includes education reforms that are reminiscent of those proposed by former Gov. Frank Keating during his tenure in office.

Senate Bill 982, by Senate Appropriations Chairman Mike Morgan, D-Stillwater, contains Governor Brad Henry’s Achieving Classroom Excellence initiative.

“Many of the reforms contained in SB 982 were ridiculed or rejected out-of-hand by Democrat leaders back when Gov. Keating proposed them,” stated Senate GOP Leader Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City. “But by unanimously supporting the reforms in SB 982, the Senate is essentially saying that Frank Keating was right when he proposed more accountability and tougher academic standards for our public schools.”

Sen. Kathleen Wilcoxson, R-Moore, is a former public school teacher who authored many of Keating’s reform proposals.

“Republicans have fought for many of these improvements for years. Thankfully, Gov. Henry is picking up where Frank Keating left off, and we actually have a chance to finally enact these important reforms to strengthen the curriculum and increase accountability in our public schools,” Wilcoxson said.