Oklahoma

Let Oklahoma teachers control their own paychecks

Published

2 years ago

April 28, 2022

Let Oklahoma teachers control their own paychecks

Editor’s Notice: This column is submitted by a candidate working for election. Its publication doesn’t represent The Oklahoman’s endorsement of the candidate or his views. The Oklahoman doesn’t endorse candidates for public workplace.

Oklahoma lecturers deserve our respect and appreciation. A technique is thru better earnings potential. As I’ve spoken about publicly, I’d prefer to see a pathway to six-figure salaries for devoted and high-performing educators in our state. However one other approach to exhibit our appreciation is to offer lecturers extra management over these earnings. Meaning by no means forcing them to financially help any group or political entity — together with unions.

As an Oklahoma trainer myself, and as somebody who now hears from lecturers throughout the state day-after-day, I think about this a significant issue. That’s the reason I urge my associates and colleagues within the Oklahoma State Legislature to move laws that will put decision-making energy again within the palms of lecturers.

The proposed legislation would supply two vital provisions:

First, laws would make sure that lecturers are empowered to make the non-public resolution of whether or not to hitch a union.

Second, it can make union membership an opt-in course of relatively than opt-out course of.

Oklahoma has lengthy been a state that celebrates the freedoms established by our forefathers and protects our nation’s constitutional rights. We all know that these freedoms require fixed safety. Now our state leaders can step up and shield these freedoms for our state’s educators.

Academics usually be a part of a union throughout their first 12 months of educating to ascertain camaraderie with their fellow educators. Some could be a part of underneath peer stress from union representatives, who make sign-up look like a easy extension of first-year paperwork.

When a trainer decides to go away the union, nevertheless, the opt-out course of is something however easy. Academics could face stress to remain, encounter arbitrary opt-out home windows and run into logistical hassles. Time-strapped and centered on their college students’ wants, some lecturers simply proceed paying union dues. In truth, some spend years paying dues to a union that doesn’t symbolize their pursuits or that helps a political agenda at odds with their very own values.

Below the opt-in system, lecturers could have the chance yearly to find out whether or not they wish to proceed membership and paying union dues. The chance can be offered to them; they gained’t must carve day out of their hectic week to chase it down. This opt-in course of places membership selections squarely in lecturers’ palms and does so on their very own phrases.

Different states, most not too long ago Indiana, have taken comparable measures for his or her lecturers. I’m excited to see Oklahoma now poised to make progress too.

I perceive the excessive stress that comes with the job. And I applaud those that present up each single day for our state’s kids. These devoted men and women work days, nights and weekends, committing way more hours than simply these spent within the classroom. When a pupil wants further assist, lecturers keep late. When budgets are tight, they buy classroom provides with their very own cash. They’re entrusted with making ready Oklahoma’s kids for profitable grownup lives, an obligation they take significantly.

That’s why, as secretary of schooling, I wish to make sure lecturers have the liberty, the assets and the respect to thrive within the classroom for years to return.

Our state can start by solidifying some primary details. Oklahoma lecturers have First Modification rights. They get to decide on whether or not to hitch, or stay a member of, a union. And so they determine for themselves whether or not a part of their hard-earned paycheck goes to help a union.

Ryan Walters is Oklahoma’s secretary of schooling.

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Oklahoma

Local museum to celebrate Military Appreciation Day

Published

4 hours ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

Local museum to celebrate Military Appreciation Day

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Activities are in preparation for military service members and their families as the Oklahoma City Museum of Art (OKCMOA) in collaboration with the United Service Organizations (USO) kick off Military Appreciation Day on Friday, July 12.

This inaugural event is anticipated to provide a day where service members and their families can experience all the Museum has to offer free of charge.

“We’re very excited to collaborate with the USO on this endeavor,” said OKCMOA President and CEO Michael Anderson, PhD. “Our military service members and their families are an important part of our community, and it’s an honor to share the Museum with them in this way.”

The scheduled programming will be as follows:

Painting Classes

10:30 am-12 pm and 2-3:30 pm | Exclusive to military service members and their adult guests

Participate in a painting class led by an OKCMOA teaching artist. Limited to 20 registrants per session. Questions? Email usooklahoma@uso.org

Card-Making Station

11 am-4 pm | Open to the public

As part of our commitment to fostering a sense of community, visitors to the Museum will have the meaningful opportunity to create “thank you for your service” cards. These heartfelt messages will be sent to our brave service members who are deployed overseas, allowing our visitors to directly contribute to their well-being and show their support.

Drop-In Gallery Tours

11 am, 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm | Exclusive to military service members and their families

Participate in a guided tour of OKCMOA’s world-famous Chihuly glass collection. Offered at the top of the hour at 11 am, 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm. No registration required.

Oath of Service Ceremony

12 pm | Open to the public

In coordination with the USO, Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS), and Recruiting Command, OKCMOA will host an Oath of Service ceremony in front of the Museum at Carolyn Hill Park. Immediately following the ceremony, new recruits and their families will be invited to stay for an informal lunch in the Museum.

Military Kids Art Exhibition

On View July 12-14 | Open to the public

OKCMOA invites all participants in the annual USO Craft Camp to visit the Museum to see their art on display. OKCMOA is pleased to host a punch and cookies reception for the artists and their families. (Reception time to be announced.)

For more information, please visit okcmoa.com or contact OKCMOA’s Head of Education Bryon Chambers at bchambers@okcmoa.com.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma to execute Richard Rojem Jr. for murder of ex-stepdaughter. What to know.

Published

11 hours ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

Oklahoma to execute Richard Rojem Jr. for murder of ex-stepdaughter. What to know.

Rojem was convicted in 1985 of kidnapping, raping and murdering his former stepdaughter, 7-year-old Layla Cummings. His execution Thursday follows that of Ramiro Gonzales in Texas on Wednesday

Richard Rojem Jr. is set to be executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma on Thursday for the rape and murder of his 7-year-old former stepdaughter. If it goes forward, the execution will be the nation’s second in as many days.

Rojem, 66, was convicted in 1985 of raping and stabbing 7-year-old Layla Dawn Cummings to death. Her brutalized body was left in a field and found by a farmer; she was still wearing her mom’s nightgown.

“Everything she might have been was stolen from her one horrific night,” Layla’s mother, Mindy Cummings, told the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board this month. “She never got to be more than the precious 7-year-old that she was. And so she remains in our hearts − forever 7.”

Rojem has always maintained his innocence, telling the board on June 17: “I did not kidnap Layla. I did not rape Layla. And I did not murder Layla.”

The board rejected his clemency request. His execution will be the state’s second of the year and the nation’s ninth.

Here’s what we know ahead of the execution.

What is Richard Rojem convicted of?

Layla was abducted from an apartment in Elk City, Oklahoma, where she lived with her mother and 9-year-old brother, on July 6, 1984, Oklahoma state court documents say. The children’s mother and Rojem’s ex-wife, Mindy Cummings, had left them alone to work a late shift at a local fast-food restaurant.

The child’s body was found the next morning in a field 15 miles from her home by a farm in Burns Flat. the appellate court records say.

Rojem and Mindy Cummings had only been divorced for two months before Layla’s murder. The two met while Rojem was serving time in a Michigan prison for the rape of two teenage girls; Cummings was the sister of Rojem’s cellmate, according to court records.

The then-26-year-old Rojem knew Cummings’ work schedule and that the lock to her apartment door was broken, according to the court filings.

Rojem was found guilty on May 31, 1985 and sentenced to death.

Has Richard Rojem appealed?

Rojem appealed his death sentence multiple times until he exhausted his attempts in 2017, Oklahoma court records show. He did win two appeals as his initial and second death sentences were thrown out in 2001 and 2006 due to problems with the jury in both instances.

A jury sentenced him to death again in 2007, and he did not win anymore appeals afterward.

Rojem’s final attempt to remain on death row for the rest of his life was on June 17 during a clemency hearing. During the hearing, Rojem maintained that he did not murder Layla and he apologized for his past, which included the rape of two teenage girls.

“I wasn’t a good human being for the first part of my life, and I don’t deny that,” a handcuffed Rojem said during the hearing. “But I went to prison. I learned my lesson and I left all that behind.”

The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board denied Rojem clemency.

When will Richard Rojem be executed?

Rojem is scheduled to be executed at 10 a.m. CT at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, 90 miles south of Tulsa.

Oklahoma executions are scheduled 90 days apart due to the “emotional and mental trauma on correctional staff,” Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a May news release. The execution interval was previously 60 days, he added.

How will Richard Rojem be executed?

Rojem will be executed with a three-drug lethal injection containing midazolam, vecuronium bromide and potassium chloride, according to Oklahoma execution protocols.

Midazolam is a sedative that is normally administered to help patients feel relaxed before surgery, vecuronium bromide is peripherally used as part of general anesthesia and potassium chloride is a medication for low blood potassium. The combination of the drugs the prison is using is fatal.

Who will witness the execution?

The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office told USA TODAY that the “witness list is confidential for security reasons.”

While unclear who will be in the execution room, the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at McAlester does provide a place to view for people 18 or older who are immediate family of any deceased victim of the defendant, according to state statutes.

Rojem’s attorney, Jack Fisher, told USA TODAY that he would be attending his client’s execution on Thursday.

Among the select members of the news media who will witness the execution is reporter Nolan Clay of The Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network.

What will be Richard Rojem’s final meal?

According to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Rojem’s final meal will consist of:

A small Little Caeser’s pizza – double cheese/double pepperoni
Eight salt packets
Eight crushed red pepper packets.
Vernors Ginger Ale, bottled.
Four ounces of vanilla ice cream cups

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Oklahoma

OSU Recruiting: Oklahoma State Gets Commitment From JUCO Transfer LB Chris Robinson

Published

19 hours ago

June 26, 2024

Press Room

OSU Recruiting: Oklahoma State Gets Commitment From JUCO Transfer LB Chris Robinson

On Wednesday, Kilgore College (TX) linebacker Chris Robinson announced his commitment to Oklahoma State.

I’M HERE! Gopokes🤠#committed @CoachNardo27 @joebobclements @CoachGundy @CoachJG_ @CowboyFB pic.twitter.com/qH707uTwLR
— 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 (@sayochris5) June 26, 2024

Robinson’s pledge comes 16 days after the Rangers’ standout took a visit to Stillwater and picked up an offer from Bryan Nardo and company. Prior to his trip to Stillwater, Robinson visited the Cougars and new head coach Willie Fritz.

After seeing OSU, however, the the Cowboys were able to get a commitment from Robinson on Wednesday.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, Robinson played one season at Kilgore College, tallying 38 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in 11 games, helping lead the Rangers to a 9-2 record and a Southwest Junior College Football Conference championship.

Robinson’s efforts resulted in the star freshman earning offers from Missouri State, Eastern Kentucky, Texas Tech, New Mexico, Houston and Oklahoma State.

Before attending Kilgore College, Robinson played at Harker Heights (TX), a high school 55 miles southwest of Waco. Harker Heights is also just five miles from Killeen, TX, the home of Cowboys’ 2025 tight end commit Isaiah Butler-Tanner, who commented on Robinson’s pledge.

Reppin 254 #GoPokes
— Isaiah Butler-Tanner (@Isaiah_Tanner4) June 26, 2024

For Joe Bob Clements, the addition of Robinson gives the Pokes’ linebacker room great depth heading into the 2024 season. With talented linebacker duo Nick Martin and Collin Oliver both back in Stillwater after impressive performances in 2023, inserting Robinson into the rotation will only make the position group better.

In addition to Robinson, Oklahoma State also adds 3-star Melissa (TX) linebacker Gunnar Wilson to its roster ahead of the 2024 season.

Want to join the discussion? Like AllPokes on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

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