Yearly Archives: 2020

Fox23: Broken Arrow school bridging the gap between deaf students and hearing community

By: Amanda Hari |  September 25, 2020 Happy Hands Education Center is celebrating Deaf Awareness Month by continuing to bridge the gap between deaf students and the hearing community. Happy Hands is an early childhood development center for children that are deaf, hard of hearing or have a communication disorder. It serves children from birth through kindergarten and assists families in learning and adapting to deaf culture. The school has many specialists and doctors, and as a result, it costs about…

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  • September 25, 2020

The Oklahoman Point of View: Private schools provide stability for Oklahoma students, parents

Rob Sellers | August 12, 2020  https://oklahoman.com/article/5668879/point-of-view-private-schools-provide-stability-for-oklahoma-students-parentsThe COVID-19 pandemic has been changing our way of life since March. But recent weeks have seen additional chaos as public school districts attempt to plan for a fall semester. There have been delayed starts, plans to mix virtual learning with in-class time and contentious board meetings. Employers have no idea how, or if, they can staff their businesses, teachers can’t make lesson plans and parents don’t know what arrangements to make or, more…

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  • August 20, 2020

SCOTUS Ruling Benefits Oklahoma Students, Faith-Based Schools

Justices rule state programs can’t discriminate against families sending their children to religious private schools TULSA, Okla. (June 30, 2020) – A U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued Tuesday is a victory for families who wish to attend faith-based schools across the country and use state programs providing tuition assistance to afford them, Opportunity Scholarship Fund (OSF) Executive Director Rob Sellers said. The case, known as Espinoza vs. Montana Department of Revenue, involved a challenge to Montana’s constitutional “no aid” rule…

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  • June 30, 2020

Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Tackling challenges of distance learning

By: Laura Summers |  April 28, 2020 It is a Wednesday afternoon and class is in session at Paths to Independence in Bartlesville. The teacher is teaching and the students are responding, but it is not business as usual. The lesson is coming in on a Facebook live video with the teacher in one place and the students at their homes. This is the reality of education during a global pandemic in which school doors are closed. The process of distance learning…

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  • April 28, 2020

Letter to the Editor: Supporting expansion of tax credit caps for Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship program

By Sen. Gary Stanislawski, Tulsa A recent column by Alberto Morejon suggested Oklahoma’s Equal Opportunity Education Scholarships don't benefit people considered lower-income, so he considers the program an attack on public schools. The column references a bill that would make more tax credits available to people who donate to schools. To be clear: The bill increases the tax credit cap available for donors who put their own dollars into education. It does not remove money from education funding. In fact,…

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  • April 9, 2020

Point of View: Raising tax-credit cap benefits all Oklahoma students

BY ROB SELLERS Every child deserves an education that meets their specific needs and helps them reach their full potential. As Oklahoma has increased its investment in schools, including raising teacher pay, we also have wisely created ways for our citizens and companies to get involved. The Equal Opportunity Scholarship Act authorizes tax credits for people who donate to private school scholarship funds and grants for public schools. To help public schools in rural and suburban areas, people donate to…

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  • April 9, 2020

Equal-Opportunity Scholarships Help Lower-Income Families

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqFIMd60V5k Many families can't afford the schools where their children would truly thrive — that's why equal-opportunity scholarships for K-12 education are so important. AND they can help the state's budget! Helping kids get a better education is a win-win.

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  • April 9, 2020

Opportunity Scholarship Fund reaches GuideStar’s highest Seal of Transparency

Platinum Seal allows donors to focus on progress and results Tulsa, Oklahoma [March 26, 2020] — The Opportunity Scholarship Fund (OSF) today earned the 2020 Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition offered by GuideStar, a service of Candid. By sharing metrics that highlight progress OSF is making toward its mission, the organization is helping donors move beyond simplistic ways of nonprofit evaluation such as overhead ratios. "In accordance with our long-held belief in being transparent about our…

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  • March 31, 2020

Trump, Stitt both support tax-credit scholarships

President Donald Trump urged Congress to advance a federal tax-credit scholarship program during his State of the Union address Tuesday evening, just one day after Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt urged state lawmakers to expand Oklahoma’s version of the same program. Trump told assembled members of Congress that the “next step forward in building an inclusive society is making sure that every young American gets a great education and the opportunity to achieve the American dream. Yet, for too long, countless American children…

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  • February 10, 2020
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