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Commentary Electric co-ops launch Legislative App I


Chris Meyers General Manager, Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives


t has always been im- portant for cooperative leaders to educate their membership about pressing energy policy is- sues. Throughout our his- tory, we’ve relied on an informed membership to be our cooperatives’ advocates with voices of reason on


critical policy issues. You, the member-consum- er, will always be the most powerful advocate for an affordable and balanced path forward. Your cooperative primarily communicates these issues to you through Oklahoma Living magazine, your local co-op newsletters, bill stuffers, as well as district and annual meetings. Occasionally, we urge you to contact your elected offi cials and advocate for an important issue that directly affects your co- op’s ability to deliver affordable, reliable, and safe electricity.


Now we are making it easier for you to reach your elected offi cials regarding important energy policy issues. Your statewide association, with the support of your local co-op, has developed a user-friendly app—accessible via Apple devices—that provides you convenient access to your state and federal elected offi cials. From the app, you have access to direct links to your elected offi cials via email or by a one-touch phone call. It also contains informa- tion about each legislator’s committee assignments,


district maps, local offi ce addresses, and social me- dia sites. The app shows which legislator represents each local cooperative service area. In short, it’s a great communications tool!


This new app is a part of our continuing efforts to make it as easy as possible for you to advocate for electric cooperatives. We rely on you, an active member, for our continued success. Just as we ral- lied and worked together in the late 1930s and early 1940s to gain access to electric power, today we still rely on your voice to ensure our future success in powering the needs of new generations. Oklahoma’s electric cooperatives have for many years provided a full-color, printed Legislative Guide that is used by thousands of visitors to the state Capitol—and we will continue to do so. This new, digital version, allows us to reach many more users of the Legislative Guide.


The app can be downloaded to your Apple de- vice through the App Store or from the Apple iTunes store. Please select “iPhone apps” when downloading from an iPad. Search “Oklahoma’s 54th Legislature” or use the QR code provided on Page 5 to download the app.


Your electric co-op continuously works to im- prove its effectiveness in communications and ad- vocacy. This new app is an exciting improvement and it has been widely praised by those who have already downloaded and used it. Thank you for getting involved in your co-op’s success, and, enjoy the new app.


You get what you pay for...or, do you? O


Glenn Propps President, Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives


klahoma is a great state. I say that not because I was born and raised


here, but because I truly be- lieve our citizens have with- in them the ability to make our state one of the most attractive and competitive


places to live in the entire United States. In order to achieve that goal, however, it may be time to take a long look at what should be a top priority: educating our young people and training or re- training adults with new and better skills. Years ago, when I was in elementary school and struggling with some mathematics concepts, a wise teacher knelt down beside my desk and offered this sage advice: “Learning new things doesn’t have to be diffi cult; it’s your attitude that can make all the difference.” I’ve never forgotten her words. The business climate is very good in Oklahoma right now; our economy is great, unemployment rates are low, and the energy industry is booming. However, much of our state is experiencing severe drought conditions, and agriculture will suffer


4 WWW.OK-LIVING.COOP


greatly should these conditions persist much longer.


But there’s another kind of drought looming, and it’s tied to what we expect of those professionals who educate and train future generations. Could it be that it’s time for an attitude adjustment when it comes to what we pay our best and brightest teachers?


Oklahoma ranks 49th out of 50 states plus the District of Columbia in average annual salaries for teachers, coming in at just over $44,150 per year. The only two states that pay teachers less are Mississippi and South Dakota. Regionally, includ- ing the seven states that surround Oklahoma, the average annual salary for teachers is $48,242 or bet- ter than $4,000 more per year. That hurts. More than 51 percent of our state budget cur- rently is spent on education. Yet, over the last fi ve years, per student spending has actually decreased by more than 20 percent when adjusted for infl a- tion. Is that acceptable?


If we expect our young people to succeed and make Oklahoma even better, it only makes sense that we adjust our attitude toward teacher pay, and per pupil spending. You get what you pay for.


Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives


Chris Meyers, General Manager Glenn Propps, President Joe Harris, Vice-President


Jimmy Taylor, Secretary-Treasurer Staff


Sid Sperry, Director of PR & Communications sksperry@oaec.coop


Anna Politano, Managing Editor editor@ok-living.coop


Larry Skoch, Advertising Manager lskoch@ok-living.coop


Christy Johnson, Offi ce Manager cjohnson@oaec.coop


Kirbi Bailey, Accountant/Offi ce Manager Asst. kbailey@oaec.coop


Hayley Leatherwood, Multimedia Specialist hleatherwood@ok-living.coop


Editorial, Advertising and General Offi ces


P.O. Box 54309, Oklahoma City, OK 73154-1309 Phone (405) 478-1455


Oklahoma Living online: www.ok-living.coop Subscriptions


$3.12 per year for rural electric cooperative members.


$6.00 per year for non-members. Cooperative Members: Report change of


address to your local rural electric cooperative. Non-Cooperative Members: Send address


changes to Oklahoma Living, P.O. Box 54309, Oklahoma City, OK 73154-1309.


Oklahoma Living (ISSN 1064-8968),


USPS 407-040, is published monthly for consumer-members of Oklahoma’s rural electric cooperatives by the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives, 2325 E. I-44 Service Road,


P.O. Box 54309, Oklahoma City, OK 73154-1309. Circulation this issue: 316,332


Periodical postage paid at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Association of Electric


Cooperatives is a statewide service organization for the following electric cooperatives: Alfalfa, Arkansas Valley, Caddo, Canadian Valley,


Central Rural, Choctaw, Cimarron, Cookson Hills, Cotton, East Central Oklahoma, Harmon, Indian, KAMO Power, Kay, Kiamichi, Kiwash, Lake Region, Northeast Oklahoma, Northfork,


Northwestern, Oklahoma, Ozarks, People’s, Red River Valley, Rural, Southeastern, Southwest


Rural, Tri-County, Verdigris Valley, and Western Farmers Electric Cooperative.


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