Fallin Reflects On 2014 Education Setbacks, Looks Forward To 2015 Session
2015 Legislative Preview: Fallin’s successes in 2014 session overshadowed by setbacks on education policy
By RANDY KREHBIEL World Staff Writer
The 2014 session got a little bumpy for Gov. Mary Fallin, but not so bumpy that it prevented her from winning a second term in November.
The biggest struggle, aside from the perennial budget fight, was over education. An insurgent coalition of parents, educators and legislators forced Fallin to retreat on two major policy points: third-grade reading sufficiency and Common Core.
Legislators overrode Fallin’s veto of a measure significantly altering a 2011 law that would have required retention of most third-graders who failed end-of-year reading tests, beginning last spring. Fallin had proposed the change and listed it among her accomplishments, but opponents delayed implementation for at least a year while an alternative method, which includes teachers, administrators and parents in the decision-making process, is tried.
Fallin was not directly involved in bringing Common Core to Oklahoma, but supported it as chairman of the National Governors Association. In the end, she was essentially forced to sign a repeal measure because of overwhelming legislative opposition.