The Rush Springs Gazette
Aug
29
2019
State investigation of epic expands to
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0006 By Jennifer Palmer
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continue to cooperate with investigators, who have now been
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lies, and families who refer new students are rewarded with an
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 Countywide& Sun

CAPITOL REPORT
State Rep. Danny Sterling
Aug
Since the legislative session ended in May, I
29 have been busy trying to study and gain more
insight into various issues that affect our state
2019 DQGVSHFLÀFDOO\P\FRQVWLWXHQWV
One thing that I have discovered is that there
is much to learn, the issues can change daily,
Page and that in most cases it is going to take a while
A05 to become knowledgeable in the various areas.
Clip
Especially with all the different caveats that
resized surround many of them.
44% I believe we had a very productive session, but
it is time to get ready for the next one. With that,
as I stated at the beginning of this article, there
are many issues that will need to be researched,
studied, and scrutinized moving forward
preparing for the next legislative session.
Some of the more prominent ones include our
ongoing education issues, the investigation into
alleged wrong doings by Epic Charter Schools,
Medicaid issues, the ongoing implementation of
the medical marijuana guidelines and regulations,
criminal justice reforms, etc.
I have spent much of my time working on a
bill I started on last session, HB 1051. This bill
predominantly works to address the need to
strengthen and expand the current physical
education programs in our public schools to
help address the childhood obesity epidemic we
currently have in our state.
There are numerous reasons for putting more
emphasis in these programs. Some, but not all,
include that childhood obesity rates in the last 15
years has gone from approximately 13% of our
young people being obese to a staggering 39%.
Research has also shown that physical activity has
a marked impact on academic test scores.
Our workforce is also affected by employees
who are unhealthy have a much higher rate
of absenteeism form work, have higher rate of
medical issues, and our not as productive at
work in performing their job duties ( especially
those jobs that are more physically demanding).
Our military has even been affected with some
current statistics that show 73% of young people
nationwide, between the ages of 17 to 24, do not
qualify for military service with obesity being the
number one cause of this.
Research has also indicated that even though
we yet to have a cure for Alzheimer’s disease,
the best deterrent for the onset of the disease is
physical activity.
I am going to address all of these in more detail
in future articles related to this endeavor. There
are numerous groups and organizations that
have reached out to me to be involved moving
forward in the work on this bill. Some of these
groups include the Cooper Institute in Dallas
Texas, TSET, OK Healthy Schools, Oklahoma
Healthcare Authority, Integris Health, Native
American tribes, Sarkeys Foundation, Oklahoma
Department of Health, and many others too
numerous to list here.
If you have interests in this bill or any questions
about this bill or any other issues, feel free
to contact me via my email, Danny.Sterling@
okhouse.gov.

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 Clip
Aug 2019 Page resized
29 0001 49%
Johnston County Sentinel
Coleman’s new superintendent looks to the future
By Tom Lokey
Sentinel Co-Publisher
In an interview on Mon-
day, the Johnston County
Sentinel visited with Melissa
Ferguson, the new superin-
tendent at Coleman School.
´0\ ÀUVW LPSUHVVLRQV RI
Coleman are that they have
been so welcoming and so
generous, very kind and very
KHOSIXO,W·VEHHQDYHU\SRV-
itive experience,” Ferguson
said.
“We have had numerous
YROXQWHHUV IURP WKH FRPPX-
nity who keep coming up and
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at the school, whether it be
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Ferguson went on to say
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superintendent are that it has
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and new things to learn.
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phase in my career,” she said.
Coleman school current-
O\ KDV  VWXGHQWV IURP
pre-k to 12th grade. Enroll-
PHQW ÁXFWXDWHV LQ FODVV VL]H
through the grades.
The school currently has a
B-plus average on its state re-
port card, and has historically
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day school week versus the
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week. Student grades and
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Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
g
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ing to Ferguson.
She is putting together a
steering committee to help
guide the school system with
recommendations to and
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The steering committee
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cal business leaders, clergy,
Coleman High School Prin-
cipal Phil Daniel and Fergu-
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an elementary teacher, a high
school teacher, and a student.
Together, they will be charged
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Coleman school.
:LWKWKHKHOSRIWKHVWHHU-
ing committee, Ferguson
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) See&2/(0$1
Page 2 &ROHPDQ6XSHULQWHQGHQW0HOLVVD)HUJXVRQ
P idd i i
 Johnston County Sentinel

Aug
29

2019

Page
Epic not following state law
0001
Clip
resized
73%
on enrollment reporting
Senator Ron Sharp,
D PHPEHU RI WKH 6HQDWH See related column on Page 2
Appropriation Subcom- virtual charter school is that there is no separate
mittee on Education, currently under investi- statute governing the
said recently his recent JDWLRQIRUIUDXGDQGHP- UHSRUWLQJ RI DWWHQGDQFH
correspondence with EH]]OHPHQW IRU WKRVH VWXGHQWV ZKR
WKH2NODKRPD6WDWHZLGH Last month, Sen. use physical buildings
Virtual Charter School Sharp questioned Epic (BLCs).
%RDUG 269&6% YHUL- DIWHU WKH\ SXEOLFO\ DG- However, the State
ÀHV KLV FRQFHUQV RI IXU- mitted reporting all their 'HSDUWPHQW RI (GXFD-
ther illegal enrollment
practices by Epic Char-
ter Schools in order to
receive additional state
IXQGLQJ
7KH VWDWH·V ODUJHVW
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
2NODKRPD DQG 7XOVD
County students under
their brick and mortar
Epic Blended Learning
Centers (BLCs) whether
they attended the physi-
cal locations or not.
An Epic spokesper-
son responded to the
media at the time that
they report all their stu-
dents as virtual charter
school students in accor-
dance with state law and
WLRQ6'(FODULÀHGWKDW
by law the BLCs are
VXEMHFW WR WKH VDPH DW-
tendance requirements
as traditional charter
schools, not virtual char-
ter schools.
269&6% ([HFXWLYH
Director Dr. Rebecca
Wilkinson agreed with
the SDE concerning
the attendance policy in
) 6HH(3,&Page 4
 Clip
Aug 2019 Page resized From
29 0002 69% 0001

Johnston County Sentinel

simply names the teach- D IRUPHU (SLF WHDFKHU VDODU\   ERQXV )ROORZWKHPRQH\

Coleman Continued from Page 1

IDFLOLW\ PDLQWHQDQFH DFDGHPLF OLHV ZLWKLQ WKH &KRFWDZ 1DWLRQ YLUWXDOVFKRROWKDWWKH\&KRFWDZ
DQGVSRUWVDQGRWKHUDFWLYLWLHVRI and is partially in Atoka Coun- 1DWLRQSD\IRUDQGZHJHWWRXVH
WKHVFKRROLQWKHIXWXUH W\7KH&KRFWDZ1DWLRQUHFHQWO\ IRUIUHHLQRXUDOWHUQDWLYHHGXFD-
)HUJXVRQZHQWRQWRVD\WKDW LQYLWHG DOO WKH VFKRRO VXSHULQ- tion program. We are in a good
she is still in the planning stage WHQGHQWVLQWKHLUDQGRQHKDOI VLWXDWLRQ ZKHUH ZH GR QRW KDYH
RIFDVWLQJKHUYLVLRQIRU&ROHPDQ FRXQW\VHUYLFHDUHDWRDPHHWLQJ WR SD\ RXW RI SRFNHW IRU YLUWXDO
VFKRRO6KHGRHVQRWZDQWWRFDVW ,Q WKLV PHHWLQJ WKH &KRFWDZ school,” Ferguson said.
WKHYLVLRQE\KHUVHOIEHFDXVHWKH 1DWLRQ ZHQW RYHU WKH SURJUDPV ,Q UHJDUGV WR (SLF &KDUWHU
school belongs to the Coleman WKH\ KDYH DYDLODEOH ZLWKLQ WKHLU 6FKRRO&ROHPDQKDVKDGVHYHUDO
school district and it should be a VHUYLFH DUHD IRU ERWK 1DWLYH VWXGHQWV ZKR WULHG WKLV IRU WKHLU
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Currently, the district is pay- children in these schools. Fergu- turned to the school district.
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PDLQO\ IRU WUDQVSRUWDWLRQ LQ- WR ZRUN ZLWK ERWK WKH &KRFWDZ DYDLODEOH WKURXJK FRQFXUUHQW HQ-
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YHKLFOH IRU WKH VFKRRO &ROHPDQ WKHLUJRDOVWRZDUGVHGXFDWLRQ lege, Southeastern and East Cen-
VFKRROGRHVQRWDQWLFLSDWHDQHZ ´:HDUHIRUWXQDWHHQRXJKWKDW WUDO6WDWHXQLYHUVLWLHV
bond issue until the current bond ZHKDYHDFRQWUDFWXDODJUHHPHQW ´7KLQJVDUHORRNLQJJRRGDQG
is retired. ZLWKWKH&KRFWDZ1DWLRQLQ'X- , DP H[FLWHG WR EH KHUHµ )HUJX-
The Coleman school district UDQW:HKDYHDSURJUDPWKDWLVD son concluded.

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 Clip
Aug 2019 Page resized
29 0002 51%

Johnston County Sentinel

Epic School pyramid scheme: if it walks like a duck...

By Dr. Jim Beckham following column was mission.) HU RU VWXGHQW ZKR UH- The teacher told me that    7KH ´ER-
Superintendent, originally published in ,OOHJDO S\UDPLG IHUUHG KLP RU KHU  $ KH RU VKH ZDV MXVW ÀUHG QXVPRQH\µZDVVLPSO\
Blanchard the Aug. 8 edition of The VFKHPHV RIIHU QR SURG- VWXGHQWJHWVDGGHG IURP (SLF HYHQ EHIRUH bumped up the pyramid,
Public Schools %ODQFKDUG 1HZV. It is XFWV IRU VDOH EXW UHO\ WRKLVRUKHU´HGXFDWLRQ WKHÀUVW\HDURIHPSOR\- SUREDEO\ WR +DUULV DQG
(Editor’s Note: The reprinted here by per- on recruiting more and IXQGµZKLFKLVQRWKLQJ PHQWZDVFRPSOHWH &KDQH\DIWHUWKHWHDFK-
PRUH LQYHVWRUV WR NHHS more than a checking The teacher had HUZDVÀUHG
the pyramid going. The account, and a teacher UHFHLYHG DQRWKHU MRE The teacher (bottom
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Published weekly at 706 West Main Street, dents.
Tishomingo, OK 73460. Each student en-
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Tom and Mary Lokey..........................Publishers and Blended Charter
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million in state aid, or 7KH EHOLHI LV WKDW KH DERXW   
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signed to other teachers
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