“He said Walters’ continued silence sends superintendents a message: they’re on their own.” He’s simply not doing the job for which the people are paying him.

Tribal regalia veto override! Tribal regalia can be worn at graduations.

Just a reminder that the superintendent’s recent stunts are an attempt to distract the public from his failure to apply for hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants. He is the “Boy Who Cried Woke.” Don’t be distracted.

Fun fact: Bert and I share a birthday! Not today - but we’re both Leos.

A mark of authoritarianism is the way it responds to challenges with threats and intimidation. This is a sign of fear rather than strength.

It still needs a vote in the Senate, but this makes me happy. Bird is the Word.

Governor Grouch’s veto ends up in the trash can!

In his veto message, Gov. Stitt said the “OETA’s long-term strategic value is at best unclear, and at the worst, imagined.” We’re voting now.

The override veto is scheduled for today! Contact your House Representative.

Correction: Chairman McBride has learned that grant applications were turned in on Friday, but we are still $90m short. And he accuses Superintendent Walters of lying to the committee when he appeared before us earlier this month, when he said everything had been filed.

Wallace closes, and we vote. The budget passes, 80-21. That’s a thirteen billion dollar decision, and the end of this lesson. /44

For example, Tulsa voucher kids get $48m. That’s more than many rural school districts will receive. And most of those kids come from affluence. That’s a dealbreaker for me. /43

Chairman Wallace worked very hard on this budget, and he is right to say that it does many good things. But I’m a no because it’s the product of a bad process. /42

Vouchers have been at the heart of this session. Leadership was determined to pass a bill. They made deals and held up all other activities until the end of this session. But who really wanted vouchers? 🤔 /41

Personal comment: the budget is the product of a deal made over vouchers. Rural legislators know they will lose local funding, so this budget includes rural payouts in housing, Redbud funds, school security and other areas. These of course come at the expense of our cities. /40

Chairman Wallace has the final debate. “Do not let the best be the enemy of the good.” He points to big investments on education, defends the gunsmithing investment, and touts spending on housing, transportation and capitol improvements. /39

For those outside this building, here’s how it worked this year. We Democrats received a budget proposal last Friday. That was not a negotiation, but a presentation. Then we received four more drafts as the GOP leadership worked out details. /38

This assumes the State Department of Education will have any employees left by next month, of course. /37

She questions the value of giving statewide elected officials a raise when their employees don’t get one. /36

There are good things in this budget, she says. And she credits her Democrats for fighting for priorities like education and health care. “We can do more,” she says, like five raises for state employees struggling with inflation. /35