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by Jonathan Small - OCPA
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2018

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School choiced
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governor’s race
Why did 100,000 African-American women in Florida vote for
s Trump-backed Republican Ron DeSantis over Andrew Gillum, a
Democrat vying to become the state’s first African-American gover-
h nor?
s The answer was provided by William Mattox last week in The Wall
- Street Journal.
“More than 100,000 low-income students in Florida participate in
u the Step Up For Students program, which grants tax-credit funded
y scholarships to attend private schools,” he writes. “Even more students
are currently enrolled in the state’s 650 charter schools.”
o “Most Step Up students are minorities whose mothers are regis-
tered Democrats. Yet many of these ‘school-choice moms’ vote for gu-
d bernatorial candidates committed to protecting their ability to choose
where their child goes to school.”
DeSantis supports school choice. Gillum, backed by the public ed-
ucation establishment, did not.
Gillum was a strong candidate and, again, would have been the first
African-American governor in Florida history. And yet, “of the
roughly 650,000 black women who voted in Florida, 18% chose Mr.
DeSantis, according to CNN’s exit poll of 3,108 voters,” Mattox
writes. “This exceeded their support for GOP U.S. Senate candidate
Rick Scott (9%), Mr. DeSantis’s performance among black men (8%),
and the GOP’s national average among black women (seven per-
cent).”
“In an election decided by fewer than 40,000 votes,” Mattox ob-
serves, “these 100,000 black women proved decisive.”
From small rural communities to big cities, school choice is main-
stream in the Sunshine State. And good policy, as they say, has proven
to be good politics.
Step Up’s Patrick Gibbons, a former OCPA research assistant,
points out that nearly half of Florida’s students attend a school based
on choice, not just location.
Stunning but true: fully 46 percent of Florida students are enrolled
in district magnet and specialty programs, online schools, public char-
ter schools, private schools that accept choice scholarships, home
schools, or some other choice.
Interestingly, Oklahomans want those same choices. In a statewide
survey commissioned by OCPA and conducted by Cor Strategies in
May 2018, likely Oklahoma voters were asked this simple question:
“If you could select any type of school in order to obtain the best ed-
ucation for your child, and financial costs and transportation were of
no concern, what type of school would you select.” The survey, which
had a margin of error of plus/minus 4.37 percent, found that just
under half of Oklahomans would choose a traditional public school.
Roughly half would make other choices (36 percent private school, 8
percent charter school, and 8 percent home school).
Clearly, the demand for educational options is strong. Homeschool-
ing is increasingly popular in Oklahoma. One of the state’s virtual
charter schools (Epic) has 21,000 students enrolled. And private
schools aren’t simply for the big cities: you’ll find them from Altus to
Woodward (not to mention in tiny Corn, Oklahoma). Indeed, 77 per-
cent of Oklahomans live within a 20-minute drive or less of at least
one private school, and fully 86 percent live within a 30-minute drive
or less.
Two years ago, more than 10,000 private-school scholarship recip-
ients joined Martin Luther King III for a rally in support of school
choice at the Florida state capitol.
“Fairness demands that every child, not just the rich, has access to
an education that will help them achieve their dreams,” Mr. King once
told OCPA. He told Politico that he believes his father would have
supported private-school choice for needy students.
Clearly, a lot of Florida moms do, too.
(Editor’s note: Jonathan Small serves as president of the Oklahoma
Council of Public Affairs.)

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Mustang News
Mustang Public Schools joins city, Canadian
County employers among state’s top workplaces
By TERRY GROOVER
tgroover@theyukonreview.com
Two Mustang
employers are among
three in Canadian
County that have been
named as Oklahoma’s
top workplaces.
Mustang Public
Schools as well as the
City of Mustang are on
the list, which was
developed by The
Oklahoman. It was
released Sunday.
Yukon Public Schools
was the third Canadian
County employer to
make the list.
Mustang Public
Schools made the list at
No. 12 in the large busi-
ness division.
Last year, Mustang
was ranked 17th.
Mustang schools has
1,534 employees.
This is the second
consecutive year
Mustang schools have
been included in the
By CHRIS EVERSOLE
rankings. With 191 employees, community and we are year’s survey. This year’s list
Mustang’s newly the City of Mustang linked as a staff. “We are going to keep includes 19 companies
appointed superinten- ranks at No. 11 in the Everyone feels support- doing what we do. We that have been on the
dent, Charles Bradley, mid-size category, just ed by each other,” he have invested a lot of list since its inception
mentioned the rank- below Great Plains said. “The teachers are time and effort in pro- six years ago. There
ings during Monday’s National Bank and supported by the fessional development.
were 19 companies that
school board meeting. ahead of Bob Mills administration and the We will continue to be
Bradley asked Chris Furniture. administration is sup- successful if we contin- had never been on the
Tobler, the district’s Meanwhile, the ported by the teachers. ue to do that. We will list prior to this year.
human resources direc- Yukon School District It is a very collegial set- continue to honor, cele- Among those were
tor, to discuss the jumped five spots from ting that people want to brate and recognize four large companies,
honor. last year’s ranking to be in Yukon.” teachers for the work six mid-size companies
“We have great peo- land at No. 6. This is Simeroth said one of they are doing,” he and nine small compa-
ple, and this is reflec- the third consecutive the things that makes said. nies.
tion of that,” Tobler year that the Yukon the school district Not included in the Wilmoth said the big-
said. School District has among the best places list this year was gest surprise was the
He noted that the dis- been included in the to work is the emphasis Canadian Valley
number of educa-
trict faced difficulties list. the district places on Technology Center. It is
over the past year, The district employs teamwork and profes- the first time in six tion-related organiza-
including a teachers’ 965 people. sional development. years the school was tions.
walkout and adapting Yukon That helps draw the not included on the list. This year’s top work-
to its growing student Superintendent Dr. best teachers to the dis- Adam Wilmoth, the places were EPIC
population. Jason Simeroth said he trict. business editor for The Charter Schools in the
“Our school family was pleased to see “It is flattering to the Oklahoman, which large category,
remained positive, Yukon’s improved rank- city of Yukon that peo- worked with a Meridian Technology
which is a reflection on ing. ple want to be here. third-party company to Center in mid-size and
our amazing culture,” “It is such a unique People move here develop the list, said The First State Bank in
Tobler said. school to be a 6A dis- because of the more than 200 nomina- the small business cate-
“We will continue to trict. It’s the seventh schools,” he said. tions were received. gory.
recruit amazing people largest high school, but Simeroth said the The largest number Staff Writer Chris
to continue our trend it doesn’t feel like it. … district hopes to contin- was in the small busi- Eversole contributed to
in the right direction.” We are very tied to the ue moving up in next ness division. this story.
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.