Here are excerpts from recent editorials in Oklahoma newspapers:
The Oklahoman. Sept. 29, 2019.
- A new look at juvenile offenders in Oklahoma
A few things that Steve Buck said recently about his agency’s budget request for next year should be noted by lawmakers as they consider their appropriation to the Office of Juvenile Affairs.
Buck, OJA’s executive director, is requesting a 7.6% increase in state funding, or an additional $7.35 million. Of that total, $1.6 million would go to detention providers and $359,000 would be used to reconstruct a research and data analytics unit that was eliminated several years ago.
The former is needed, Buck said, because providers are “struggling to serve young people who are presenting with very acute mental illness and very significant levels of developmental disability.”
This should come as no surprise. High rates of mental illness in Oklahoma have been a longstanding concern. In a recent report, the Oklahoma Policy Institute noted that national studies show 92.5% of detained juveniles reported experiencing trauma, and diagnosable mental health conditions are seen in two out of every three. Oklahoma has the highest rate of children with at least one adverse childhood experience, OK Policy said.
Buck also said having solid data is a must for OJA to “identify hot spots for specific investment, but then also develop strategies around those hot spots for how we can do things differently. It’s a way to help us harness our time, effort and energy.”
Do things differently. That’s encouraging, although not a surprise. A year ago, as Buck discussed a campus renovation that was just getting underway, he mentioned the importance of getting away from OJA’s older, inadequate facilities.
“We have to encourage our young people that their lives are worth investing in,” Buck said then. “When you’re walking across a campus with broken sidewalks and air conditioning that’s inconsistent at best, and aging buildings, that’s not the message we’re sending.”
One goal of the renovation is to provide a more therapeutic environment for juvenile offenders, one that will help the teens’ return to society.
To that end, OK Policy recommends the state take savings gained by a continuing reduction in youth incarceration and reinvest those in services such as therapy, substance abuse treatment, education and family supports. (In the OJA budget request, $343,000 would fund family engagement efforts.)
“With state revenue collection at a record high and OJA working to update the state’s plan for juvenile services for the first time since 2008, now is the perfect time to reimagine our current approach,” OK Policy said. It suggested the state look at practices touted by Models for Change, which advocates for a juvenile justice reform.
The report may give Buck and his team something to consider, although it’s evident they’re intent on shaping the agency in a way that gives Oklahoma’s most challenging young people a fighting chance to turn their lives around.
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Stillwater News Press. Sept. 29, 2019.
- Continuously inspired
A heartfelt congratulations to Mya’s Promise, the City of Stillwater and the residents of this community for winning the $25,000 State Farm grant that will go toward the Playability Project at Strickland Park.
If you are unfamiliar, many people have been working toward this project which will help make the park accessible to all children no matter their mental or physical limitations. The grant was won after Stillwater became a finalist following a nationwide online vote.
The money will help fund a fully accessible shelter and restroom, just a part of the larger project that city leaders believe could be a regional draw for Stillwater.
“All of our online voting resulted in a win,” Amy Dzialowski, board president of Mya’s Promise and city councilor, said. “We’re so grateful for all the time and effort our community put in, and we can’t wait to continue our collaboration with the City of Stillwater and Stillwater Makes a Change students to make Strickland Park an inclusive place for everyone.”
Earlier this year, Stillwater Makes a Change, a student-led fundraising effort at SHS, raised $200,000 for the project.
Just more examples of the people here willing to continue to reinvest in Stillwater. Anne Greenwood was among the people who eulogized T. Boone Pickens, and of course, mentioned how transformative his thinking was. His investments had ramifications, not just on campus, but for the city and beyond. We can’t all invest at the level of Pickens, but we can be inspired like Greenwood to believe that our impact can be meaningful.
“If you don’t dream it and you don’t try, then it is not going to happen,” Greenwood said.
Well done, folks.
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Tulsa World. Oct. 1, 2019.
- Stitt puts reins on state agency grant applications, but he needs to hold them loosely
Gov. Kevin Stitt has restricted the ability of many state agencies to apply for new federal funds and other grant opportunities.
An executive order signed last week requires most state agencies to submit grant applications for more than $50,000 to the governor’s office for approval first.
In a statement, Stitt said the effort was aimed at transparency, accountability and oversight - three standards that almost every Oklahoman supports.
The governor also pointed out that 30% of funding in the state budget comes from the federal government, which is an interesting if not completely relevant fact. Surely, Stitt isn’t suggesting that the state needs to stop accepting the federal funding for health care, roads, bridges and public schools which account for the vast majority of the federal funding in the state budget.
That said, we can see some wisdom in the executive order, but urge Stitt to apply his newly taken power gently.
An ill-advised grant application can commit the state to long-term funding in exchange for short-term money. For example, if a federal agency is offering to pick up the cost of hiring permanent new state employees for two or three years, we should only accept the money if the jobs represent legitimate state priorities that we can support permanently when the federal money runs out. Obviously, Oklahoma should set Oklahoma’s priorities, not the grant makers.
On the other hand, we don’t think the governor needs to micromanage state agencies in their pursuit of funding for creative and experimental projects. If a proposed grant doesn’t represent a long-term commitment of state funding and the agency can make a good argument that the money will be in the state’s best interests, the governor’s choice needs to err on the side of liberality and experimentation. Grants can be a low-risk chance to extend the state’s reach, and it’d be a shame to turn them away under some sort of artificial, or worse, agenda-driven rubric.
As with so many things in government, the devil is in the detail. Having put reins on state government’s ability to apply for grants, Stitt needs to hold them loosely with an eye toward good fiscal practice but not constraint of the positive potential of government.
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