Better Schools, Spring 2018 edition - online

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2901 N. Lincoln Blvd. • Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4225 Phone: 405.524.1191 • Fax: 405.524.1196

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SPRING 2018 | CCOSA.ORG

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JUST THE FACTS ABOUT SCHOOL FUNDING

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Q&A ON SCHOOL FINANCE WITH VERNON FLORENCE

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INOLA’S RUSSELL TAKES CONTROL OF HEALTH

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Photo courtesy of NewsOK.

In this Issue 3 Annual Report, FY16-17 14 Facts About School Funding 16 Q&A with Vernon Florence 22 Association Updates 24 Breakfast In The Classroom visits Mid-Del 26 Inola’s Jodi Russell Takes Control of Health 28 Political Action Committee

@ CCO S A

Be the change. Vote for #oklaed

CCOSA E XE CU T IVE BOA RD C HAIR C a roly n T hom a s (O D S S ) V IC E- C HAIR J ulie Blos s (OAES P ) MEMBERS Ada m Bea ucha m p D r. J ohn C ox D r. Greg Ga rn Ric k Ga rris on C a m ille Holt J erem y Ja c ks on C lay Mc D ona ld Ada m Mc P ha il Ly nn S chroeder Mic hele S c ot t

CCOSA E XE CU T IVE DIRE CTORS & ADMIN IST RAT IVE SE RVICES T EA M D irec t ors D r. Pa m D eering D r. Gra cie Bra nch W illia m D. Pa rker Andrea Kunkel Hay ley J ones S us a n Ha rdy Brooks , AP R F ina nc e Ma na ger C y nda Kola r Ma rket ing & Mem bers hip Man ag e r D a w n Jones

Supporting the 695,000 school children of our state fuels our unity of purpose as educators.

Let's build on the momentum we are experiencing in support of public education and get out the educator vote in upcoming elections. We can change the course of the future by going to the polls to elect pro-education candidates.

Make a commitment to "Be the Change" for #oklaed. Let's stand united and make election day the most powerful day of the year for public education!

Here's what you can do:

• Find pro-education candidates to run for legislative seats.

• Support pro-education candidates with your time and money.

• Share the voter registration dates and information with every school employee.

• Host voter registration drives at school events for parents and students.

• Encourage educators to vote in primary elections in June. Primaries determine many elections!

• Schedule an in-service day for Election Day in November so educators can vote conveniently.

Public education in Oklahoma is enjoying unprecedented public support right now. Let's keep it that way. Every vote counts!

If every educator votes, we can change election outcomes and the future for our students.

C om m unic a t ions C oordin ato r K a it ly n Ta gga r t Adm inis t ra t ive S er v ic es Te am OAS S P, O MLEA, O D S S : La ura C r ab tr e e OAS A, OARS A, C EC : C ha rlot t e Mu r p h y OAES P, T LE: Ly nne W hi te

@ C CO S A S c h o o l Ad m in is tra tio n ccosa_ok Articles submitted to Better Schools do not necessarily reflect the policies or beliefs of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration. All articles are subject to editing.

A publication of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration Editor: Susan Hardy Brooks, APR Editorial and Advertising offices at 2901 N. Lincoln Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73105. Membership and advertising rates upon request. Better Schools is owned and published by the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration, Inc.

At press time it is day 8 of the historic teacher walkout. Photo courtesy of US News and World Report.

Fol l ow us on Fac e book and Tw i tte r f or the l ate s t i n fo r m a t i o n !

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ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL REP O RT 2 016 -2 017 Dr. Pam Deering CCOSA Executive Director OASA Executive Director

ARCHITECTS Freedom Elementary

Lawton Public Schools

William D. Parker OASSP & OMLEA Executive Director Dr. Gracie Branch OAESP Executive Director Andrea Kunkel CCOSA General Counsel ODSS Executive Director Hayley Jones CCOSA Deputy General Counsel Susan Hardy Brooks CCOSA Chief Communications Officer Cynda Kolar CCOSA Financial Officer Charlotte Murphy OASA/CEC Board Executive Assistant Lynne White OAESP Executive Assistant Laura Crabtree ODSS/District Level Services/ Mutual Benevolence Plan Executive Assistant Dawn Jones CCOSA Membership Specialist LOCATIONS Oklahoma City Office 2901 North Lincoln Boulevard Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Phone: (405) 524-1191

The student enrollment data utilized in this report is available on the Oklahoma State Department of Education website.

Tulsa Office Owasso 8th Grade Center 13901 East 86th Street North Owasso, OK 74055 JANUARY 2018

BOYNTON WILLIAMS & ASSOCIATES Oklahoma’s School Architect Since 1984

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PAC

CCOSA Political Action Committee

Advancing Legislation For Better Schools

C C O S A PA C I n f o r m a t i o n The Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration’s Political Action Committee (CCOSA PAC) is one of the most effective political action committees working to elect to state office candidates who will fight to safeguard and strengthen public education in Oklahoma.

CCOSA PAC is our voice at the state capitol– it speaks on behalf of you and over 2,500 active and retired school administrators from all five unified affiliate associations under the CCOSA Umbrella. In addition, CCOSA PAC supports former CCOSA members in their campaigns for state office. Our ability to assist candidates and their campaigns allows us to develop meaningful relationships with legislators and other state office holders.

Our Voice CCOSA PAC provides direct financial support to recommended candidates for statewide office, the Oklahoma House and the State Senate who will fight to support students, parents and educators. Your donation to CCOSA PAC stays here in Oklahoma where it can do the most good for our students and their schools! We do not contribute to candidates for federal elected office. Every member who contributes to CCOSA PAC does so voluntarily. CCOSA does not use dues dollars to support the CCOSA PAC. T h e I m p a c t o f G i v i n g t o t h e C C O S A PA C The life of every CCOSA member and his or her family is impacted each day by decisions made by politicians in Oklahoma City. From assessment and accountability requirements, the number of students in classrooms, the way administrators evaluate teachers, the amount of funding made available to support school programs, the Reading Sufficiency Act and even the size of an educator’s paycheck, important decisions about your life and career are made every day by elected officials. If you join together with other CCOSA members to make your voice and concerns heard, you can help elect state officials who will positively impact your work, your students, your schools and your communities. The CCOSA PAC Board urges you to consider making a voluntary contribution to support CCOSA PAC today! Your donation gives you the power to support the election of pro-public education candidates who will represent your values and concerns in all aspects of Oklahoma government.

ANNUAL REPORT LETTER FROM THE CCOSA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR A look back at 2016-2017.

You will find a lot of information that describes CCOSA in this document, but we know clearly that CCOSA is defined by its members. I hope that this report provides a glimpse of the services provided and the people served during the year. It is our first attempt to capture a year at a glance as a part of our Communication Plan to keep our members informed and to provide a report going forward about the strength of CCOSA. We appreciate your membership and want you to know that we are about continuously improving what we do to better serve you. Thanks to our member associations and their leadership. The elected leaders represent you with their expertise, vision and passion for professional learning.

We are good listeners. We work for you. We want to provide you with the best professional learning and advocacy.

Sincerely,

Dr. Pam Deering, CCOSA Executive Director

DID YOU KNOW? If every CCOSA member donated just $25, the cost of giving up your favorite Starbucks drink for one week, we would have over $60,000.00 to donate to candidates.

If you would like to donate, log-in to your member account at ccosa.org/

BETTER SCHOOLS | 28

CCOSA has been going strong and paving the way since establishment in 1974.

OASA | OASSP | OMLEA | OAESP | ODSS | OARSA Established in 1974, the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration is an incorporated, not for profit organization that ensures close and continuous communication and cooperation among educators, taxpayers and legislators to improve the effectiveness of professional school administrators and to communicate the needs of the schools. The Council is the umbrella organization for the following professional associations: Oklahoma Association of School Administrators (OASA), Oklahoma Association of Secondary School Principals (OASSP), Oklahoma Association of Elementary School Principals (OAESP), Oklahoma Middle Level Education Association (OMLEA), Oklahoma Directors of Special Services (ODSS) and Oklahoma Association of Retired School Administrators (OARSA).

CCOSA's mission is to promote quality administrative leadership for Oklahoma schools through professional development, legislation and member services.

The CCOSA Summer Conference encompasses all public school administrators from each association under the CCOSA umbrella (OASA, OAESP, OASSP, OMLEA, ODSS and OARSA). The two-day conference includes: Recognition of CCOSA Administrators of the Year and scholarship winners; Nationallyknown keynote speakers; A multitude of concurrent sessions; and Association breakfasts and recognition of retiring CCOSA members.

OARSA 236

2,664

ABOUT CCOSA

Full membership count does not include OMLEA because those memberships are included in OASSP or OAESP.

ANNUAL REPORT

ODSS 161 OASSP 794

C

M

OMLEA 521

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

OAESP 732

OASA 741

2016-17 CCOSA Strategic Plan GOAL Establish an organizational culture and infrastructure to increase membership, board engagement and participation, connect staff to the community through leadership positioning and cultivate relationships with key stakeholders in public education.

GOAL Lead the conversation regarding public education by creating and putting in place a comprehensive public awareness campaign to inform the public’s perception of the quality and effectiveness of Oklahoma’s public schools.

GOAL Develop a policy platform and initiatives that will elect pro-public education officials and adequately support them to make informed decisions that benefit students and their public schools.

GOAL Be the statewide leader in professional development and continuing education for school administrators in Oklahoma through a comprehensive array of membership services to build capacity in public education.

BETTER SCHOOLS | 6 | ANNUAL REPORT

2 0 1 6 - 2 0 17 MEMBERSHIP

Adopted on August 27, 2016

By: Lauren Beach, Elementary Public Education Teacher, Inola Public Schools As an elementary school physical education teacher with Inola Public Schools, Jodi Russell is focused on the health and wellbeing of her students. So, when Jodi began coughing up blood, she knew she needed to find out what was wrong. With no other symptoms, Jodi visited her primary care physician, who noticed a mass on her lung and recommended she see a specialist. In August 2016, Jodi found out she had lung cancer. “I was devastated; it was like the air was sucked out of my lungs when I found out,” said Jodi. “I was a long-term smoker, but I quit in 2008, hoping to get ahead of the possibility of developing lung cancer.

When I was told that I, in fact, had lung cancer, I thought I was going to die. I just kept thinking that I wanted to be around for my daughter and grandkids.”

After speaking with a friend about her diagnosis, he recommended that Jodi visit Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) in Tulsa. “My friend’s wife had treated at CTCA®, and he told me about the amazing care that she received while she was there. He told me I had to check it out, so I did,” said Jodi.

Jodi was given a personalized treatment plan for her cancer that included radiation, along with chemotherapy; when her cancer progressed, Jodi’s pulmonologist was able to find a different treatment option that met her needs. “Jodi was the perfect candidate for immunotherapy. This medication, which Jodi takes every two weeks, is able to prevent the cancer’s ability to hide from the immune system. Once Jodi’s immune system recognized the cancer cells, it can fight off continued growth,” said CTCA in Tulsa Pulmonologist Dr. Kendal Hervert.

“This medication was such a blessing for me,” said Jodi. “Since taking it, I haven’t had any side effects or experienced any issues with pain. I’m still able to live my life, I’ve continued working, and I’m able to go to all of my grandkids’ activities.”

“Throughout this entire experience, I am so thankful for the support that I have received from my daughter, my family, my friends, and most of all, God,” said Jodi. “I felt so supported at CTCA; everyone who works there is so good at what they do, and they truly care for you like you’re a part of their family.”

Cancer Treatment Centers of America is a network provider of HealthChoice.

ANNUAL REPORT CCOSA EXECUTI VE COM M ITTEE 2 016 - 2 017 Jerry Needham CCOSA Chairperson Carolyn Thomas CCOSA Vice-Chairperson ODSS President Mike McClaren OASA President Renae Dozier OASSP President Kenneth Ward OMLEA President Holly McKinney OAESP President Rick Garrison OASA President-Elect Michele Scott ODSS President-Elect Clay McDonald OASSP President-Elect Julie Bloss OAESP President-Elect Adam Beauchamp OMLEA President-Elect Dr. Gregg Garn Higher Education Ex-Officio Dr. Pam Deering CCOSA Executive Director OASA Executive Director Dr. Gracie Branch OAESP Executive Director OMLEA Executive Director Andrea Kunkel CCOSA General Counsel ODSS Executive Director Hayley Jones CCOSA Deputy General Counsel

BETTER SCHOOLS | 26

Dr. Don Raleigh CCOSA Superintendent of the Year OASA

A D M I N I S T R AT O R S O F T H E Y E A R

Setting an Example: Physical Education Teacher Takes Control of Her Health

CTCA offers an integrative approach to care that combines surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy with advancements in precision cancer treatment and supportive therapies designed to manage side effects and enhance quality of life both during and after treatment.

And, all services are provided under one roof for the convenience and benefit of the patient.

Kathy Dunn CCOSA Assistant Superintendent of the Year OASA Robbie Holder CCOSA Elementary National Distinguished Principal OAESP Dr. Penny Kay CCOSA Special Services Director of the Year ODSS Dr. Aspasia Carlson CCOSA High School Principal of the Year OASSP Dusty Throckmorton CCOSA Assistant High School Principal of the Year OASSP Kenneth Ward CCOSA Middle Level Principal of the Year OASSP/OMLEA Cordell Ehrich CCOSA Digital Principal of the Year OASSP/OMLEA Adam Beauchamp CCOSA Digital Principal of the Year OASSP/OMLEA ANNUAL REPORT | 7 | CCOSA.ORG

ANNUAL REPORT

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For more information on our products or services, contact a Scholastic 21 | CCOSA.ORG Representative at 800-387-1437, or email SCCG@scholastic.com.

ANNUAL REPORT

Hunger Free Oklahoma, State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister and other champions of childhood hunger hosted a celebration of Breakfast in the Classroom at Highland Park Elementary School in Mid-Del Public Schools on March 9. The event highlighted the importance of Breakfast in the Classroom’s role in ensuring that kids have the food they need to focus, stay healthy, learn and succeed.

Guests had the opportunity to tour the BIC program, talk to teachers and students about the benefits of breakfast and have conversations with school nutrition staff about how the program works.

If your school district is interested in a Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom grant, go online for more information and to download the grant application.

w w w. b reakfastinthecl assro o m . o rg BETTER SCHOOLS | 20

ANNUAL REPORT OM L E A

William Parker Executive Director OMLEA Conference Review February 5, 2018 was an amazing day of learning and growing with teachers and principals at the OMLEA Conference “Reaching the Middle” at Owasso’s Tulsa Technology Conference Center. Josh Shipp brought a powerful message on how every child needs caring, supportive adults who will not give up. His own story was inspiring, and he provided great takeaways for how to engage students in tough but helpful conversations. Teacher and Principal teams spread throughout the building for breakouts and speed sessions (like Edcamp) conversations on best practices. Mustang’s Josh Flores brought a rousing keynote on reflecting on how we think about our practice as educators and how we can use our platforms to proudly celebrate our profession.

OMLEA Educator Award OMLEA Executive Committee awarded its inaugural OMLEA Educator of the Year to Cristin Ashcroft, Media Specialist from Waller Middle School, Enid Public Schools, who began Oklahoma’s first TedX events for students.

OMLEA President-Elect for 2018-19 Congratulations to Justin Mann for being elected the OMLEA PresidentElect. Mann has been an education for over 11 years, seven years in the classroom and four years as an administrator. He is the product of Mid-Del School and serves as principal at Del Crest. He explains, “At Del Crest, I live my passion and my calling. I love having the opportunity each day to speak a word of kindness and encouragement into the lives of our students and staff, to make them laugh or smile, or give them a listening ear…I consistently work to ensure that they feel safe each day and to let them know that they have the potential to lead others in a positive way. When these students and teachers look back on their middle school years, in both teaching and learning, I want them to say that it was one of the best experiences of their lives...I am so thankful to have been able to serve OMLEA the

past few years and look forward to the future with this essential organization!”

OAE SP

Dr. Gracie Branch Executive Director OAESP Administrator of the Year/ NAESP National Distguished Principal Award Congratulations to the following principals who have been nominated: • Jan Matthews: Principal, Quail Creek ES, OKC PS • Jessele Miller: Principal, Centennial ES, Edmond PS • Skeeter Sampler: Principal, Cache Intermediate School, Cache PS • Janalyn Taylor: Principal, Nance ES, Clinton PS • Renita White: Principal, James L. Dennis ES, Putnam City PS Three principals will be chosen for site visits based on the merits of their applications. All nominees and finalists will be honored at the OAESP breakfast at the CCOSA Summer Conference on Thursday, June 7.

Zone 8 Director Kas Nelson, OAESP President Julie Bloss, NAESP State Representative/Federal Relations Officer Glen Abshere and OAESP Executive Director Gracie Branch attended the NAESP Leaders Conference March 18-21 in Washington D.C. Attendees received updates on the following topics: NAESP 10 Year Leadership Study, Insights on Federal K-12 Education Policymaking and Politics, NAESP Advocacy Update, and the U.S. Department of Education presented

by Jason Botel, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Education. The conference culminated with a “snowy visit” to Capitol Hill. You will be glad to know that the closing of the Federal Government did not deter your OAESP officers or Oklahoma congressman from meeting. Just know that your “principal voice” is being heard loud and clear on Capitol Hill!

LEAD LIKE ME In the next few weeks, information will be posted on the OAESP portion of the CCOSA website with information on how to host a Lead Like Me student/advisor leadership training

at your school beginning in the fall of 2018. Please look for an email blast in the upcoming weeks for more details.

Due to job promotions and term limits, we will have several OAESP board openings in the following areas beginning July 1: Southwest Quadrant (1), Northeast Quadrant (1), and Southeast Quadrant (2). If you are interested in serving a two year term on the board, contact Dr. Gracie Branch by phone (405) 312-4297, or email: branch@ccosa.org.

OD SS

Andrea Kunkel Executive Director This spring, ODSS is working hard on the following projects: • Nominations for ODSS’ two awards and applications for ODSS’ $1,000 student scholarship are due on April 16. We’ll announce winners on May 2.

• The election for ODSS’ 2018-19 President-Elect will take place at the ODSS business meeting during the CCOSA Summer Leadership Conference.

• We’ve finished the in-person training component for the 50+ first-year special ed directors in our First-Year Project with SDE. We’ll be delivering two webinars to the group before the end of the school year.

• We’re continuing to work with SDE and interested universities on MTSS and addressing student behavior issues. We’re expanding our student behavior focus to student threats and working with ODSS members to improve the process of risk assessment when students exhibit threatening behavior by word or action.

• We’ll be holding two free special education-related ed camps in June – one in Owasso and one in Norman.

More details to come.

• We’ve put out lots of information about special ed-related issues in light of the potential teacher work stoppage. If you have questions, contact Andrea Kunkel at email: kunkel@ccosa.org.

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CCOSA A S S O C I AT I O N U P DAT E S OA SA

Dr. Pam Deering Executive Director Teacher Work Stoppage These are interesting times for each of us as school administrators. The CCOSA team has been busy staying on top of the constantly changing nuances of the teacher walkout so we can keep you up-to-date and informed. We have several helpful resources you can use to guide your decision-making and communicate with your key community stakeholders: • A revised/updated Teacher Work Stoppage Guidance document developed by CCOSA Attorneys, Andrea Kunkel and Hayley Jones; • An OSDE guidance on potential teacher work stoppage document; • A fact sheet on public education funding facts and falsehoods; • NEW! An online Google Drive repository of communications resources; and • NEW! Remind text alert app that allows you to opt in to receive legislative alerts on your phone.

David Jackson, OSSAA Executive Director, spoke to the committee about extra-curricular activities during school closures. He said decisions about whether or not to continue activities is strictly a local school district decision.

OSSAA is supportive of teachers, yet wants schools to consider the repercussions for students because many athletic, fine arts and senior activities cannot be rescheduled.

Harry Birdwell was our guest to discuss the legislation, HB3440, that redirects money from the Land Commission to teacher bonuses. We have alerted against this bill often and even with the AG Opinion that clearly states that monies cannot be spent as directed in the legislation, the possibility that the bill may move forward still exists.

BETTER SCHOOLS | 22

State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister was also a guest and talked with the Executive Committee about the teacher work stoppage. OASA has hosted a daily debrief for superintendents throughout the walkout.

OASA Elections for 2018-19 Congratulations to the OASA members who will be serving in these offices for 2018-19: Don Raleigh, President-Elect Jim Beckham, Vice-President District Representatives Darrell Floyd, District 3 Randy Davenport, District 9 Randy Harris, District 10 Chad Hance, District 13 Tony O’Brien, District 16 Todd Crabtree, District 17 Doug Brown, District 19

OAS S P

William Parker Executive Director President-Elect for 2018-19 Congratulations to Kim Coody, Principal of Glenpool High School.

Ms. Coody has spent 20 years working with Oklahoma students as a special education teacher, high school assistant principal, middle school principal and high school principal. Kim has 14 years in secondary administration experience at Glenpool Public Schools. She began her administrative career as the high school assistant principal, serving in the position for 8 years.

She spent 3 years as the principal at Glenpool Middle School before being named the high school principal in 2015. Kim was a finalist for CCOSA/OASSP Principal of the Year in 2016 and serves as a regional representative for OASSP. She prides herself on Glenpool High School’s high graduation rate and her staff’s commitment to building positive relationships with students.

Congratulations Kim Coody, and thank you for your willingness to serve!

OANHS State Convention On February 23, 2018, Principal Leslie Frazier and OASSP Executive Director Will Parker advised the Oklahoma Association of National Honor Societies annual conference at Edison Preparatory School in Tulsa.

Keynote speakers included State Senator J.J. Dossett and Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Deb Gist.

It was a privilege connecting with many of your students and advisers from across the state.

NASSP Advocacy Conference On March 19-21, OASSP PresidentElect Kim Coody and NASSP State Coordinator Alan Baker attended the NASSP Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C. On Wednesday, March 21, they were joined by Dr. Gracie Branch and members from OAESP for visits on Capitol Hill to advocate for federal support of our schools.

Principals Day at the Capitol OAESP & OASSP hosted principals on Tuesday, March 27, for Principals Day at the Capitol. All principals were invited to attend the Legislative Briefing at the CCOSA office and receive talking points before going to the Capitol. Later they met for lunch together and OASSP’s Executive Committee Meeting.

Secondary Principal of the Year Program Middle School and High School Principal of the Year nominations were extended and candidates will be scheduled for interviews by panel committee on April 16, 2018.

Selections of Middle School Principal of the Year and High School Principal of the Year will be announced by the end of April.

ANNUAL REPORT

ANNUAL REPORT

17 | CCOSA.ORG

ANNUAL REPORT

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FACTS • Including benefits, Oklahoma ranks at either 48th or 50th in the nation in average teacher salary and dead last in our region.

• Oklahoma teachers have not seen a state increase in the minimum salary schedule in 10 years.

• Oklahoma is ranked 47th in the nation in per pupil funding and spends almost $1,700 per pupil less than our neighboring states.

• This year alone, the state Board of Education has approved 1,943 emergency teacher certifications. In the 2011-2012 school year there were only 32 emergency certifications granted.

• Over 90 School districts have moved to four day school weeks.

• Since the 2013-2014 school year, Oklahoma has 700 fewer teachers with increased student enrollment of over 15,000 students – that means that class sizes across the state are expanding.

FALSE ASSERTIONS ABOUT SCHOOL FUNDING Schools have more money than they have ever had before.

Over the past decade, state general funding is down nearly $180 million while K-12 enrollment has grown by more than 50,000 students. School districts have very little discretion in how local and federal funds may be used so those monies alone cannot solve the teacher shortage and fulfill the operational needs of schools.

Schools could use local ad valorem dollars to pay teachers better but instead only build buildings.

Ad valorem taxes and bond issues cannot be used to raise teacher salaries.

Education already gets 50% of the state budget – how much is enough?

Actually, K-12 public schools only get 32% of the overall state’s appropriated budget.

If only we didn’t have so many school districts in the state we could afford to pay our teachers more.

If we got rid of every superintendent in the state except 1 to run all the districts, that wouldn’t save enough money to pay for a $1,000 pay raise for every teacher.

Why didn’t the Lottery fix education funding?

The lottery brings in a little over $30 million a year to public schools, but that is less than 2% of the school funding formula. So while it helps, it is not enough to “fix” school funding — especially with the cuts education has sustained through the years.

Schools are hoarding money in carryover accounts.

State revenue to schools has been extremely volatile the last few years. In fact, in the past 3 years, schools have had to make mid-year budget cuts totaling over $79.5 million dollars. Without carryover, many schools could not have paid their teachers or bills during these times. State statute regulates how much a school can carry forward and having a reasonable carryover is imperative in these unpredictable economic times. Many schools don’t receive the bulk of their local ad valorem taxes until January and February. Money has to be carried forward to pay the bills until then.

When you look at cost of living and our benefits, Oklahoma teachers actually do pretty well.

All the national rankings of teacher salaries do take into account benefits and if you did adjust for cost of living, Oklahoma teachers would still need a raise of over $6,000 for their average salaries to reach the national average adjusted for cost of living.

Superintendent pay and administrative costs in our schools are where the real problems lie.

Oklahoma school districts spend less than 4% of their budgets on administrative costs and rank 44th nationally on per student administration spending. Oklahoma law currently caps administrative costs.

We have more than 690,000 reasons to fund education.

THERE ARE NO MORE EXCUSES. THIS IS REAL AND STUDENTS IN OUR SCHOOLS ARE SUFFERING! BETTER SCHOOLS | 14

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R O CCO NLINE T SA. ORG ODAY

Q&A Vernon Florence

on School Finance with

Vernon Florence, Financial Consultant for the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration, updates and informs us on the financial tasks and required steps that school administrators follow to create an effective budget and plan for the upcoming school year.

Who should be involved in the budgeting process?

It depends on the size of the school, but it usually involves more than one person. In a smaller school, it would include the superintendent, encumbrance clerk, payroll clerk, and treasurer, at minimum, and then sometimes the principals. In a larger school, it involves the business manager, the chief financial officer, federal programs director, payroll clerk, encumbrance clerk, and possibly the site managers or building principals.

What are the recommended steps? When does the process begin?

You don’t start when school begins; you start way ahead.

As a matter of fact, you should probably start building the budget for next year at this time! So start early in the year in spring, and develop a tentative budget. You start with a revenue budget, developing and estimating what the revenue might be for the school year. As you get closer to July 1, then those guesses become more concrete, although even at that time they won’t be definite. Having said that, when you start with the revenue budget, you also have to start with the expenditure budget. Your revenue budget drives your expenditure budget. So, if you are anticipating a decrease in revenue, then you have to look at your expenditure budget and say “I probably need to make some decreases of estimates on my expenditure budget.” For example, if you have a growth of students then you know you will have to have more teachers, and you will also have to have an increase of expenditures for personnel. When you get into the larger districts, now you have to develop that expenditure budget and split it down into various sites, which we called sitebased management, and you have to have a budget for each particular site, which is the beginning of a general fund. Then you move on to the building fund: repairs, maintenance, and minor construction. At the end of the year, your site budgets should correspond with your total budget for the school district. But, there is a lot more to it than that. If you have bond issues, then you have to develop budgets for those. Your activity fund is a BETTER SCHOOLS | 16

completely different fund out there that you must develop a budget for. The critical issue is that for every single fund in your school district, there must be a revenue budget and an expenditure budget; it has to be monitored carefully throughout the entire school year. The budget is an ever-changing thing. It is a moving target, and you have to move with it to be successful.

During the budget development process, what is the most difficult of challenging step for administrators to deal with?

Without a doubt, estimating revenue. This is where most schools have problems. If you don’t get the revenue correct, or fairly close, then you’ll have problems all year long. So the very first and most critical step is developing a revenue budget that is close to reality.

How do our districts determine budget priorities?

In past years, that was the primary responsibility of the administration. Now, administrators have to be more involved with the community, the board, and the patronsand there has to be a strategic plan developed by the district involving those players. That strategic plan has to determine the budget, whether you add programs or not, whether you build new buildings or not, whether you add technology or not. All of your budget decisions are determined primarily by your strategic plan.

very rich schools and the very poor schools. There are general observations of what the school budget should be. If you are in a larger school district, most will carry over in the 6-8% and some operate fine on that. When they start getting below five, they might be facing a few problems. Most of the school districts (60% in Oklahoma) will be between 10-15%, and when you start dropping Describe your experience with hosting the financial below 10%, administrators take a look at the budget to assistance program for school administrators. see what is causing the drop. One of the primary things One of the biggest problems when observing the cash fund balance I run across for first year is looking at the up, stable, or down “I’ve been doing this for superintendents is they don’t trend. The ideal situation is for it come in with an honest base that to stay stable or for it to gradually about 60 years and there they need with school district increase. When the fund balance starts is always something new budgeting. It takes superintendents decreasing year after year, then you are about three years to really get over heading for problems. It simply means every year, and there are that hump to get a good financial that you spent more money than your changes all the time.” basis for budgeting. The First Year revenue for that previous year, so it is Superintendents class at CCOSA critical to look at those components. has helped a lot, the seminars, the one-on-one consulting with the districts, and the small group classes really help What advice in the area of finance and budgeting is to address their problems individually. The most difficult recommended for aspiring superintendents? thing is to have a large class and to start talking about Well first, you have got to keep in mind that you’re budget, and every single school district has a different never going to learn all of this. I’ve been doing this for budget. The feedback I have received is that the districts about 60 years and there is always something new just don’t have enough information, specifically for the every year, and there are changes all the time. For the new superintendents. CCOSA and I have been trying to new superintendents, first of all, don’t be afraid to ask give them a structure to follow, so they can look at their questions. If you don’t ask questions you will get in budget and see if they can fit it into a structure that helps trouble. The main thing administrators have to recognize them get through the year. is that they have to have help, and the more help you get, from organizations like CCOSA, the better. It is a matter What are your thoughts on how much a district should of knowing there is a big problem out there, knowing you carryover each year? must solve it, but not getting discouraged. For smaller There is a legal limit on how much you can carry over, school superintendents, it has become normal for them and most districts don’t need to carry over that limit, but to become easily frustrated. The larger schools have chief it can vary from school to school. When you look at the financial officers, but at least 8% of the districts don’t have fund balance, determined by the cash flow requirement a chief financial officer. CCOSA has a great program for and the management reserve, you can compare the offering financial assistance.

— Kaitlynn Taggart What do you think is the key to a successful budget?

The key to a successful budget is planning. There has to be a realistic budget that involves constant monitoring.

If you do that, you will be able to set a budget and come close to a prediction of what the end result will be at the end of the next school year.

M id - D e l e d u c a tor s a nd a d voc a t e s ma rc h to t he C a p i tol i n un i t y to p u s h f or a n inc re a s e in s c hool f u nd i ng.

April 9, 2018

What steps does a school go through to reach final approval of the budget?

The school district should develop the budget starting now, then it goes to the school board for legal approval.

The budget then goes to the county excise board, and it is then sent to the state Board of Equalization in November.

It is a long series of processes, but the main process is for the school district to develop a budget, make a board statement, and have a hearing before the community.

After the county excise board approves it, you have your budget set.

17 | CCOSA.ORG

Q&A Vernon Florence

on School Finance with

Vernon Florence, Financial Consultant for the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration, updates and informs us on the financial tasks and required steps that school administrators follow to create an effective budget and plan for the upcoming school year.

Who should be involved in the budgeting process?

It depends on the size of the school, but it usually involves more than one person. In a smaller school, it would include the superintendent, encumbrance clerk, payroll clerk, and treasurer, at minimum, and then sometimes the principals. In a larger school, it involves the business manager, the chief financial officer, federal programs director, payroll clerk, encumbrance clerk, and possibly the site managers or building principals.

What are the recommended steps? When does the process begin?

You don’t start when school begins; you start way ahead.

As a matter of fact, you should probably start building the budget for next year at this time! So start early in the year in spring, and develop a tentative budget. You start with a revenue budget, developing and estimating what the revenue might be for the school year. As you get closer to July 1, then those guesses become more concrete, although even at that time they won’t be definite. Having said that, when you start with the revenue budget, you also have to start with the expenditure budget. Your revenue budget drives your expenditure budget. So, if you are anticipating a decrease in revenue, then you have to look at your expenditure budget and say “I probably need to make some decreases of estimates on my expenditure budget.” For example, if you have a growth of students then you know you will have to have more teachers, and you will also have to have an increase of expenditures for personnel. When you get into the larger districts, now you have to develop that expenditure budget and split it down into various sites, which we called sitebased management, and you have to have a budget for each particular site, which is the beginning of a general fund. Then you move on to the building fund: repairs, maintenance, and minor construction. At the end of the year, your site budgets should correspond with your total budget for the school district. But, there is a lot more to it than that. If you have bond issues, then you have to develop budgets for those. Your activity fund is a BETTER SCHOOLS | 16

completely different fund out there that you must develop a budget for. The critical issue is that for every single fund in your school district, there must be a revenue budget and an expenditure budget; it has to be monitored carefully throughout the entire school year. The budget is an ever-changing thing. It is a moving target, and you have to move with it to be successful.

During the budget development process, what is the most difficult of challenging step for administrators to deal with?

Without a doubt, estimating revenue. This is where most schools have problems. If you don’t get the revenue correct, or fairly close, then you’ll have problems all year long. So the very first and most critical step is developing a revenue budget that is close to reality.

How do our districts determine budget priorities?

In past years, that was the primary responsibility of the administration. Now, administrators have to be more involved with the community, the board, and the patronsand there has to be a strategic plan developed by the district involving those players. That strategic plan has to determine the budget, whether you add programs or not, whether you build new buildings or not, whether you add technology or not. All of your budget decisions are determined primarily by your strategic plan.

very rich schools and the very poor schools. There are general observations of what the school budget should be. If you are in a larger school district, most will carry over in the 6-8% and some operate fine on that. When they start getting below five, they might be facing a few problems. Most of the school districts (60% in Oklahoma) will be between 10-15%, and when you start dropping Describe your experience with hosting the financial below 10%, administrators take a look at the budget to assistance program for school administrators. see what is causing the drop. One of the primary things One of the biggest problems when observing the cash fund balance I run across for first year is looking at the up, stable, or down “I’ve been doing this for superintendents is they don’t trend. The ideal situation is for it come in with an honest base that to stay stable or for it to gradually about 60 years and there they need with school district increase. When the fund balance starts is always something new budgeting. It takes superintendents decreasing year after year, then you are about three years to really get over heading for problems. It simply means every year, and there are that hump to get a good financial that you spent more money than your changes all the time.” basis for budgeting. The First Year revenue for that previous year, so it is Superintendents class at CCOSA critical to look at those components. has helped a lot, the seminars, the one-on-one consulting with the districts, and the small group classes really help What advice in the area of finance and budgeting is to address their problems individually. The most difficult recommended for aspiring superintendents? thing is to have a large class and to start talking about Well first, you have got to keep in mind that you’re budget, and every single school district has a different never going to learn all of this. I’ve been doing this for budget. The feedback I have received is that the districts about 60 years and there is always something new just don’t have enough information, specifically for the every year, and there are changes all the time. For the new superintendents. CCOSA and I have been trying to new superintendents, first of all, don’t be afraid to ask give them a structure to follow, so they can look at their questions. If you don’t ask questions you will get in budget and see if they can fit it into a structure that helps trouble. The main thing administrators have to recognize them get through the year. is that they have to have help, and the more help you get, from organizations like CCOSA, the better. It is a matter What are your thoughts on how much a district should of knowing there is a big problem out there, knowing you carryover each year? must solve it, but not getting discouraged. For smaller There is a legal limit on how much you can carry over, school superintendents, it has become normal for them and most districts don’t need to carry over that limit, but to become easily frustrated. The larger schools have chief it can vary from school to school. When you look at the financial officers, but at least 8% of the districts don’t have fund balance, determined by the cash flow requirement a chief financial officer. CCOSA has a great program for and the management reserve, you can compare the offering financial assistance.

— Kaitlynn Taggart What do you think is the key to a successful budget?

The key to a successful budget is planning. There has to be a realistic budget that involves constant monitoring.

If you do that, you will be able to set a budget and come close to a prediction of what the end result will be at the end of the next school year.

M id - D e l e d u c a tor s a nd a d voc a t e s ma rc h to t he C a p i tol i n un i t y to p u s h f or a n inc re a s e in s c hool f u nd i ng.

April 9, 2018

What steps does a school go through to reach final approval of the budget?

The school district should develop the budget starting now, then it goes to the school board for legal approval.

The budget then goes to the county excise board, and it is then sent to the state Board of Equalization in November.

It is a long series of processes, but the main process is for the school district to develop a budget, make a board statement, and have a hearing before the community.

After the county excise board approves it, you have your budget set.

17 | CCOSA.ORG

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R O CCO NLINE T SA. ORG ODAY

FACTS • Including benefits, Oklahoma ranks at either 48th or 50th in the nation in average teacher salary and dead last in our region.

• Oklahoma teachers have not seen a state increase in the minimum salary schedule in 10 years.

• Oklahoma is ranked 47th in the nation in per pupil funding and spends almost $1,700 per pupil less than our neighboring states.

• This year alone, the state Board of Education has approved 1,943 emergency teacher certifications. In the 2011-2012 school year there were only 32 emergency certifications granted.

• Over 90 School districts have moved to four day school weeks.

• Since the 2013-2014 school year, Oklahoma has 700 fewer teachers with increased student enrollment of over 15,000 students – that means that class sizes across the state are expanding.

FALSE ASSERTIONS ABOUT SCHOOL FUNDING Schools have more money than they have ever had before.

Over the past decade, state general funding is down nearly $180 million while K-12 enrollment has grown by more than 50,000 students. School districts have very little discretion in how local and federal funds may be used so those monies alone cannot solve the teacher shortage and fulfill the operational needs of schools.

Schools could use local ad valorem dollars to pay teachers better but instead only build buildings.

Ad valorem taxes and bond issues cannot be used to raise teacher salaries.

Education already gets 50% of the state budget – how much is enough?

Actually, K-12 public schools only get 32% of the overall state’s appropriated budget.

If only we didn’t have so many school districts in the state we could afford to pay our teachers more.

If we got rid of every superintendent in the state except 1 to run all the districts, that wouldn’t save enough money to pay for a $1,000 pay raise for every teacher.

Why didn’t the Lottery fix education funding?

The lottery brings in a little over $30 million a year to public schools, but that is less than 2% of the school funding formula. So while it helps, it is not enough to “fix” school funding — especially with the cuts education has sustained through the years.

Schools are hoarding money in carryover accounts.

State revenue to schools has been extremely volatile the last few years. In fact, in the past 3 years, schools have had to make mid-year budget cuts totaling over $79.5 million dollars. Without carryover, many schools could not have paid their teachers or bills during these times. State statute regulates how much a school can carry forward and having a reasonable carryover is imperative in these unpredictable economic times. Many schools don’t receive the bulk of their local ad valorem taxes until January and February. Money has to be carried forward to pay the bills until then.

When you look at cost of living and our benefits, Oklahoma teachers actually do pretty well.

All the national rankings of teacher salaries do take into account benefits and if you did adjust for cost of living, Oklahoma teachers would still need a raise of over $6,000 for their average salaries to reach the national average adjusted for cost of living.

Superintendent pay and administrative costs in our schools are where the real problems lie.

Oklahoma school districts spend less than 4% of their budgets on administrative costs and rank 44th nationally on per student administration spending. Oklahoma law currently caps administrative costs.

We have more than 690,000 reasons to fund education.

THERE ARE NO MORE EXCUSES. THIS IS REAL AND STUDENTS IN OUR SCHOOLS ARE SUFFERING! BETTER SCHOOLS | 14

ANNUAL REPORT

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17 | CCOSA.ORG

CCOSA A S S O C I AT I O N U P DAT E S OA SA

Dr. Pam Deering Executive Director Teacher Work Stoppage These are interesting times for each of us as school administrators. The CCOSA team has been busy staying on top of the constantly changing nuances of the teacher walkout so we can keep you up-to-date and informed. We have several helpful resources you can use to guide your decision-making and communicate with your key community stakeholders: • A revised/updated Teacher Work Stoppage Guidance document developed by CCOSA Attorneys, Andrea Kunkel and Hayley Jones; • An OSDE guidance on potential teacher work stoppage document; • A fact sheet on public education funding facts and falsehoods; • NEW! An online Google Drive repository of communications resources; and • NEW! Remind text alert app that allows you to opt in to receive legislative alerts on your phone.

David Jackson, OSSAA Executive Director, spoke to the committee about extra-curricular activities during school closures. He said decisions about whether or not to continue activities is strictly a local school district decision.

OSSAA is supportive of teachers, yet wants schools to consider the repercussions for students because many athletic, fine arts and senior activities cannot be rescheduled.

Harry Birdwell was our guest to discuss the legislation, HB3440, that redirects money from the Land Commission to teacher bonuses. We have alerted against this bill often and even with the AG Opinion that clearly states that monies cannot be spent as directed in the legislation, the possibility that the bill may move forward still exists.

BETTER SCHOOLS | 22

State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister was also a guest and talked with the Executive Committee about the teacher work stoppage. OASA has hosted a daily debrief for superintendents throughout the walkout.

OASA Elections for 2018-19 Congratulations to the OASA members who will be serving in these offices for 2018-19: Don Raleigh, President-Elect Jim Beckham, Vice-President District Representatives Darrell Floyd, District 3 Randy Davenport, District 9 Randy Harris, District 10 Chad Hance, District 13 Tony O’Brien, District 16 Todd Crabtree, District 17 Doug Brown, District 19

OAS S P

William Parker Executive Director President-Elect for 2018-19 Congratulations to Kim Coody, Principal of Glenpool High School.

Ms. Coody has spent 20 years working with Oklahoma students as a special education teacher, high school assistant principal, middle school principal and high school principal. Kim has 14 years in secondary administration experience at Glenpool Public Schools. She began her administrative career as the high school assistant principal, serving in the position for 8 years.

She spent 3 years as the principal at Glenpool Middle School before being named the high school principal in 2015. Kim was a finalist for CCOSA/OASSP Principal of the Year in 2016 and serves as a regional representative for OASSP. She prides herself on Glenpool High School’s high graduation rate and her staff’s commitment to building positive relationships with students.

Congratulations Kim Coody, and thank you for your willingness to serve!

OANHS State Convention On February 23, 2018, Principal Leslie Frazier and OASSP Executive Director Will Parker advised the Oklahoma Association of National Honor Societies annual conference at Edison Preparatory School in Tulsa.

Keynote speakers included State Senator J.J. Dossett and Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Deb Gist.

It was a privilege connecting with many of your students and advisers from across the state.

NASSP Advocacy Conference On March 19-21, OASSP PresidentElect Kim Coody and NASSP State Coordinator Alan Baker attended the NASSP Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C. On Wednesday, March 21, they were joined by Dr. Gracie Branch and members from OAESP for visits on Capitol Hill to advocate for federal support of our schools.

Principals Day at the Capitol OAESP & OASSP hosted principals on Tuesday, March 27, for Principals Day at the Capitol. All principals were invited to attend the Legislative Briefing at the CCOSA office and receive talking points before going to the Capitol. Later they met for lunch together and OASSP’s Executive Committee Meeting.

Secondary Principal of the Year Program Middle School and High School Principal of the Year nominations were extended and candidates will be scheduled for interviews by panel committee on April 16, 2018.

Selections of Middle School Principal of the Year and High School Principal of the Year will be announced by the end of April.

ANNUAL REPORT

ANNUAL REPORT OM L E A

William Parker Executive Director OMLEA Conference Review February 5, 2018 was an amazing day of learning and growing with teachers and principals at the OMLEA Conference “Reaching the Middle” at Owasso’s Tulsa Technology Conference Center. Josh Shipp brought a powerful message on how every child needs caring, supportive adults who will not give up. His own story was inspiring, and he provided great takeaways for how to engage students in tough but helpful conversations. Teacher and Principal teams spread throughout the building for breakouts and speed sessions (like Edcamp) conversations on best practices. Mustang’s Josh Flores brought a rousing keynote on reflecting on how we think about our practice as educators and how we can use our platforms to proudly celebrate our profession.

OMLEA Educator Award OMLEA Executive Committee awarded its inaugural OMLEA Educator of the Year to Cristin Ashcroft, Media Specialist from Waller Middle School, Enid Public Schools, who began Oklahoma’s first TedX events for students.

OMLEA President-Elect for 2018-19 Congratulations to Justin Mann for being elected the OMLEA PresidentElect. Mann has been an education for over 11 years, seven years in the classroom and four years as an administrator. He is the product of Mid-Del School and serves as principal at Del Crest. He explains, “At Del Crest, I live my passion and my calling. I love having the opportunity each day to speak a word of kindness and encouragement into the lives of our students and staff, to make them laugh or smile, or give them a listening ear…I consistently work to ensure that they feel safe each day and to let them know that they have the potential to lead others in a positive way. When these students and teachers look back on their middle school years, in both teaching and learning, I want them to say that it was one of the best experiences of their lives...I am so thankful to have been able to serve OMLEA the

past few years and look forward to the future with this essential organization!”

OAE SP

Dr. Gracie Branch Executive Director OAESP Administrator of the Year/ NAESP National Distguished Principal Award Congratulations to the following principals who have been nominated: • Jan Matthews: Principal, Quail Creek ES, OKC PS • Jessele Miller: Principal, Centennial ES, Edmond PS • Skeeter Sampler: Principal, Cache Intermediate School, Cache PS • Janalyn Taylor: Principal, Nance ES, Clinton PS • Renita White: Principal, James L. Dennis ES, Putnam City PS Three principals will be chosen for site visits based on the merits of their applications. All nominees and finalists will be honored at the OAESP breakfast at the CCOSA Summer Conference on Thursday, June 7.

Zone 8 Director Kas Nelson, OAESP President Julie Bloss, NAESP State Representative/Federal Relations Officer Glen Abshere and OAESP Executive Director Gracie Branch attended the NAESP Leaders Conference March 18-21 in Washington D.C. Attendees received updates on the following topics: NAESP 10 Year Leadership Study, Insights on Federal K-12 Education Policymaking and Politics, NAESP Advocacy Update, and the U.S. Department of Education presented

by Jason Botel, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Education. The conference culminated with a “snowy visit” to Capitol Hill. You will be glad to know that the closing of the Federal Government did not deter your OAESP officers or Oklahoma congressman from meeting. Just know that your “principal voice” is being heard loud and clear on Capitol Hill!

LEAD LIKE ME In the next few weeks, information will be posted on the OAESP portion of the CCOSA website with information on how to host a Lead Like Me student/advisor leadership training

at your school beginning in the fall of 2018. Please look for an email blast in the upcoming weeks for more details.

Due to job promotions and term limits, we will have several OAESP board openings in the following areas beginning July 1: Southwest Quadrant (1), Northeast Quadrant (1), and Southeast Quadrant (2). If you are interested in serving a two year term on the board, contact Dr. Gracie Branch by phone (405) 312-4297, or email: branch@ccosa.org.

OD SS

Andrea Kunkel Executive Director This spring, ODSS is working hard on the following projects: • Nominations for ODSS’ two awards and applications for ODSS’ $1,000 student scholarship are due on April 16. We’ll announce winners on May 2.

• The election for ODSS’ 2018-19 President-Elect will take place at the ODSS business meeting during the CCOSA Summer Leadership Conference.

• We’ve finished the in-person training component for the 50+ first-year special ed directors in our First-Year Project with SDE. We’ll be delivering two webinars to the group before the end of the school year.

• We’re continuing to work with SDE and interested universities on MTSS and addressing student behavior issues. We’re expanding our student behavior focus to student threats and working with ODSS members to improve the process of risk assessment when students exhibit threatening behavior by word or action.

• We’ll be holding two free special education-related ed camps in June – one in Owasso and one in Norman.

More details to come.

• We’ve put out lots of information about special ed-related issues in light of the potential teacher work stoppage. If you have questions, contact Andrea Kunkel at email: kunkel@ccosa.org.

23 | CCOSA.ORG

ANNUAL REPORT

Hunger Free Oklahoma, State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister and other champions of childhood hunger hosted a celebration of Breakfast in the Classroom at Highland Park Elementary School in Mid-Del Public Schools on March 9. The event highlighted the importance of Breakfast in the Classroom’s role in ensuring that kids have the food they need to focus, stay healthy, learn and succeed.

Guests had the opportunity to tour the BIC program, talk to teachers and students about the benefits of breakfast and have conversations with school nutrition staff about how the program works.

If your school district is interested in a Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom grant, go online for more information and to download the grant application.

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ANNUAL REPORT

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By: Lauren Beach, Elementary Public Education Teacher, Inola Public Schools As an elementary school physical education teacher with Inola Public Schools, Jodi Russell is focused on the health and wellbeing of her students. So, when Jodi began coughing up blood, she knew she needed to find out what was wrong. With no other symptoms, Jodi visited her primary care physician, who noticed a mass on her lung and recommended she see a specialist. In August 2016, Jodi found out she had lung cancer. “I was devastated; it was like the air was sucked out of my lungs when I found out,” said Jodi. “I was a long-term smoker, but I quit in 2008, hoping to get ahead of the possibility of developing lung cancer.

When I was told that I, in fact, had lung cancer, I thought I was going to die. I just kept thinking that I wanted to be around for my daughter and grandkids.”

After speaking with a friend about her diagnosis, he recommended that Jodi visit Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) in Tulsa. “My friend’s wife had treated at CTCA®, and he told me about the amazing care that she received while she was there. He told me I had to check it out, so I did,” said Jodi.

Jodi was given a personalized treatment plan for her cancer that included radiation, along with chemotherapy; when her cancer progressed, Jodi’s pulmonologist was able to find a different treatment option that met her needs. “Jodi was the perfect candidate for immunotherapy. This medication, which Jodi takes every two weeks, is able to prevent the cancer’s ability to hide from the immune system. Once Jodi’s immune system recognized the cancer cells, it can fight off continued growth,” said CTCA in Tulsa Pulmonologist Dr. Kendal Hervert.

“This medication was such a blessing for me,” said Jodi. “Since taking it, I haven’t had any side effects or experienced any issues with pain. I’m still able to live my life, I’ve continued working, and I’m able to go to all of my grandkids’ activities.”

“Throughout this entire experience, I am so thankful for the support that I have received from my daughter, my family, my friends, and most of all, God,” said Jodi. “I felt so supported at CTCA; everyone who works there is so good at what they do, and they truly care for you like you’re a part of their family.”

Cancer Treatment Centers of America is a network provider of HealthChoice.

ANNUAL REPORT CCOSA EXECUTI VE COM M ITTEE 2 016 - 2 017 Jerry Needham CCOSA Chairperson Carolyn Thomas CCOSA Vice-Chairperson ODSS President Mike McClaren OASA President Renae Dozier OASSP President Kenneth Ward OMLEA President Holly McKinney OAESP President Rick Garrison OASA President-Elect Michele Scott ODSS President-Elect Clay McDonald OASSP President-Elect Julie Bloss OAESP President-Elect Adam Beauchamp OMLEA President-Elect Dr. Gregg Garn Higher Education Ex-Officio Dr. Pam Deering CCOSA Executive Director OASA Executive Director Dr. Gracie Branch OAESP Executive Director OMLEA Executive Director Andrea Kunkel CCOSA General Counsel ODSS Executive Director Hayley Jones CCOSA Deputy General Counsel

BETTER SCHOOLS | 26

Dr. Don Raleigh CCOSA Superintendent of the Year OASA

A D M I N I S T R AT O R S O F T H E Y E A R

Setting an Example: Physical Education Teacher Takes Control of Her Health

CTCA offers an integrative approach to care that combines surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy with advancements in precision cancer treatment and supportive therapies designed to manage side effects and enhance quality of life both during and after treatment.

And, all services are provided under one roof for the convenience and benefit of the patient.

Kathy Dunn CCOSA Assistant Superintendent of the Year OASA Robbie Holder CCOSA Elementary National Distinguished Principal OAESP Dr. Penny Kay CCOSA Special Services Director of the Year ODSS Dr. Aspasia Carlson CCOSA High School Principal of the Year OASSP Dusty Throckmorton CCOSA Assistant High School Principal of the Year OASSP Kenneth Ward CCOSA Middle Level Principal of the Year OASSP/OMLEA Cordell Ehrich CCOSA Digital Principal of the Year OASSP/OMLEA Adam Beauchamp CCOSA Digital Principal of the Year OASSP/OMLEA ANNUAL REPORT | 7 | CCOSA.ORG

OASA | OASSP | OMLEA | OAESP | ODSS | OARSA Established in 1974, the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration is an incorporated, not for profit organization that ensures close and continuous communication and cooperation among educators, taxpayers and legislators to improve the effectiveness of professional school administrators and to communicate the needs of the schools. The Council is the umbrella organization for the following professional associations: Oklahoma Association of School Administrators (OASA), Oklahoma Association of Secondary School Principals (OASSP), Oklahoma Association of Elementary School Principals (OAESP), Oklahoma Middle Level Education Association (OMLEA), Oklahoma Directors of Special Services (ODSS) and Oklahoma Association of Retired School Administrators (OARSA).

CCOSA's mission is to promote quality administrative leadership for Oklahoma schools through professional development, legislation and member services.

The CCOSA Summer Conference encompasses all public school administrators from each association under the CCOSA umbrella (OASA, OAESP, OASSP, OMLEA, ODSS and OARSA). The two-day conference includes: Recognition of CCOSA Administrators of the Year and scholarship winners; Nationallyknown keynote speakers; A multitude of concurrent sessions; and Association breakfasts and recognition of retiring CCOSA members.

OARSA 236

2,664

ABOUT CCOSA

Full membership count does not include OMLEA because those memberships are included in OASSP or OAESP.

ANNUAL REPORT

ODSS 161 OASSP 794

C

M

OMLEA 521

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

OAESP 732

OASA 741

2016-17 CCOSA Strategic Plan GOAL Establish an organizational culture and infrastructure to increase membership, board engagement and participation, connect staff to the community through leadership positioning and cultivate relationships with key stakeholders in public education.

GOAL Lead the conversation regarding public education by creating and putting in place a comprehensive public awareness campaign to inform the public’s perception of the quality and effectiveness of Oklahoma’s public schools.

GOAL Develop a policy platform and initiatives that will elect pro-public education officials and adequately support them to make informed decisions that benefit students and their public schools.

GOAL Be the statewide leader in professional development and continuing education for school administrators in Oklahoma through a comprehensive array of membership services to build capacity in public education.

BETTER SCHOOLS | 6 | ANNUAL REPORT

2 0 1 6 - 2 0 17 MEMBERSHIP

Adopted on August 27, 2016

PAC

CCOSA Political Action Committee

Advancing Legislation For Better Schools

C C O S A PA C I n f o r m a t i o n The Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration’s Political Action Committee (CCOSA PAC) is one of the most effective political action committees working to elect to state office candidates who will fight to safeguard and strengthen public education in Oklahoma.

CCOSA PAC is our voice at the state capitol– it speaks on behalf of you and over 2,500 active and retired school administrators from all five unified affiliate associations under the CCOSA Umbrella. In addition, CCOSA PAC supports former CCOSA members in their campaigns for state office. Our ability to assist candidates and their campaigns allows us to develop meaningful relationships with legislators and other state office holders.

Our Voice CCOSA PAC provides direct financial support to recommended candidates for statewide office, the Oklahoma House and the State Senate who will fight to support students, parents and educators. Your donation to CCOSA PAC stays here in Oklahoma where it can do the most good for our students and their schools! We do not contribute to candidates for federal elected office. Every member who contributes to CCOSA PAC does so voluntarily. CCOSA does not use dues dollars to support the CCOSA PAC. T h e I m p a c t o f G i v i n g t o t h e C C O S A PA C The life of every CCOSA member and his or her family is impacted each day by decisions made by politicians in Oklahoma City. From assessment and accountability requirements, the number of students in classrooms, the way administrators evaluate teachers, the amount of funding made available to support school programs, the Reading Sufficiency Act and even the size of an educator’s paycheck, important decisions about your life and career are made every day by elected officials. If you join together with other CCOSA members to make your voice and concerns heard, you can help elect state officials who will positively impact your work, your students, your schools and your communities. The CCOSA PAC Board urges you to consider making a voluntary contribution to support CCOSA PAC today! Your donation gives you the power to support the election of pro-public education candidates who will represent your values and concerns in all aspects of Oklahoma government.

ANNUAL REPORT LETTER FROM THE CCOSA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR A look back at 2016-2017.

You will find a lot of information that describes CCOSA in this document, but we know clearly that CCOSA is defined by its members. I hope that this report provides a glimpse of the services provided and the people served during the year. It is our first attempt to capture a year at a glance as a part of our Communication Plan to keep our members informed and to provide a report going forward about the strength of CCOSA. We appreciate your membership and want you to know that we are about continuously improving what we do to better serve you. Thanks to our member associations and their leadership. The elected leaders represent you with their expertise, vision and passion for professional learning.

We are good listeners. We work for you. We want to provide you with the best professional learning and advocacy.

Sincerely,

Dr. Pam Deering, CCOSA Executive Director

DID YOU KNOW? If every CCOSA member donated just $25, the cost of giving up your favorite Starbucks drink for one week, we would have over $60,000.00 to donate to candidates.

If you would like to donate, log-in to your member account at ccosa.org/

BETTER SCHOOLS | 28

CCOSA has been going strong and paving the way since establishment in 1974.

ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL REP O RT 2 016 -2 017 Dr. Pam Deering CCOSA Executive Director OASA Executive Director

ARCHITECTS Freedom Elementary

Lawton Public Schools

William D. Parker OASSP & OMLEA Executive Director Dr. Gracie Branch OAESP Executive Director Andrea Kunkel CCOSA General Counsel ODSS Executive Director Hayley Jones CCOSA Deputy General Counsel Susan Hardy Brooks CCOSA Chief Communications Officer Cynda Kolar CCOSA Financial Officer Charlotte Murphy OASA/CEC Board Executive Assistant Lynne White OAESP Executive Assistant Laura Crabtree ODSS/District Level Services/ Mutual Benevolence Plan Executive Assistant Dawn Jones CCOSA Membership Specialist LOCATIONS Oklahoma City Office 2901 North Lincoln Boulevard Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Phone: (405) 524-1191

The student enrollment data utilized in this report is available on the Oklahoma State Department of Education website.

Tulsa Office Owasso 8th Grade Center 13901 East 86th Street North Owasso, OK 74055 JANUARY 2018

BOYNTON WILLIAMS & ASSOCIATES Oklahoma’s School Architect Since 1984

bwaarchitects.com 405.329.0423

Are you preparing for next year’s school budget?

As costs increase and school funding remains a challenge, consider the salary alternative that stretches your budget dollars with the most impact. Unlike traditional salary, the 401a Retirement Plan can avoid costly matching burdens saving your district up to 16%. Contact us today for a free plan design consultation.

Richard J. Collins ~ Financial Advisor 315 West Edmond Road, Suite B, Edmond, OK 73003 405.359.7500 • www.horizonok.net Securities & Registered Investment Advisory Services offered through GWN Securities, Inc., 11440 N. Jog Road, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418 Horizon Financial and GWN Securities are non-affiliated companies.

B E T T E R S C H O O L S | 2 6Member FINRA & SIPC.

Photo courtesy of NewsOK.

In this Issue 3 Annual Report, FY16-17 14 Facts About School Funding 16 Q&A with Vernon Florence 22 Association Updates 24 Breakfast In The Classroom visits Mid-Del 26 Inola’s Jodi Russell Takes Control of Health 28 Political Action Committee

@ CCO S A

Be the change. Vote for #oklaed

CCOSA E XE CU T IVE BOA RD C HAIR C a roly n T hom a s (O D S S ) V IC E- C HAIR J ulie Blos s (OAES P ) MEMBERS Ada m Bea ucha m p D r. J ohn C ox D r. Greg Ga rn Ric k Ga rris on C a m ille Holt J erem y Ja c ks on C lay Mc D ona ld Ada m Mc P ha il Ly nn S chroeder Mic hele S c ot t

CCOSA E XE CU T IVE DIRE CTORS & ADMIN IST RAT IVE SE RVICES T EA M D irec t ors D r. Pa m D eering D r. Gra cie Bra nch W illia m D. Pa rker Andrea Kunkel Hay ley J ones S us a n Ha rdy Brooks , AP R F ina nc e Ma na ger C y nda Kola r Ma rket ing & Mem bers hip Man ag e r D a w n Jones

Supporting the 695,000 school children of our state fuels our unity of purpose as educators.

Let's build on the momentum we are experiencing in support of public education and get out the educator vote in upcoming elections. We can change the course of the future by going to the polls to elect pro-education candidates.

Make a commitment to "Be the Change" for #oklaed. Let's stand united and make election day the most powerful day of the year for public education!

Here's what you can do:

• Find pro-education candidates to run for legislative seats.

• Support pro-education candidates with your time and money.

• Share the voter registration dates and information with every school employee.

• Host voter registration drives at school events for parents and students.

• Encourage educators to vote in primary elections in June. Primaries determine many elections!

• Schedule an in-service day for Election Day in November so educators can vote conveniently.

Public education in Oklahoma is enjoying unprecedented public support right now. Let's keep it that way. Every vote counts!

If every educator votes, we can change election outcomes and the future for our students.

C om m unic a t ions C oordin ato r K a it ly n Ta gga r t Adm inis t ra t ive S er v ic es Te am OAS S P, O MLEA, O D S S : La ura C r ab tr e e OAS A, OARS A, C EC : C ha rlot t e Mu r p h y OAES P, T LE: Ly nne W hi te

@ C CO S A S c h o o l Ad m in is tra tio n ccosa_ok Articles submitted to Better Schools do not necessarily reflect the policies or beliefs of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration. All articles are subject to editing.

A publication of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration Editor: Susan Hardy Brooks, APR Editorial and Advertising offices at 2901 N. Lincoln Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73105. Membership and advertising rates upon request. Better Schools is owned and published by the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration, Inc.

At press time it is day 8 of the historic teacher walkout. Photo courtesy of US News and World Report.

Fol l ow us on Fac e book and Tw i tte r f or the l ate s t i n fo r m a t i o n !

Presorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Okla. City, OK Permit #1019

2901 N. Lincoln Blvd. • Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4225 Phone: 405.524.1191 • Fax: 405.524.1196

R O EP R L ON A U ITI N D AN E

T

SPRING 2018 | CCOSA.ORG

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JUST THE FACTS ABOUT SCHOOL FUNDING

14

Q&A ON SCHOOL FINANCE WITH VERNON FLORENCE

16

INOLA’S RUSSELL TAKES CONTROL OF HEALTH

26