Banned book lesson thrusts Oklahoma teacher into campaign for governor
Thursday, December 7, 2012 10:16 PM
Oklahoma teacher Tina McManus on Thursday became the first person in the state to run for governor under a so-called “Banned Book Bill,” which was signed by Gov. Mary Fallin on Jan. 21, 2012. She is running on a platform that includes more protections for teachers, a $3,000 per-student cap on education spending and other reforms she believes will improve the state’s schools.
JENNIFER ROBBINS
Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma teacher Tina McManus on Thursday became the first person in the state to run for governor under a so-called “Banned Book Bill,” which was signed by Gov. Mary Fallin on Jan. 21, 2012. She is running on a platform that includes more protections for teachers, a $3,000 per-student cap on education spending and other reforms she believes will improve the state’s schools.
After nearly two hours of her remarks on stage in Oklahoma City, McManus got the applause of a good audience. But not from all the lawmakers who are pushing for tighter restrictions on reading material and a ban on the state’s English language arts curriculum. It was a victory for a book lover who has championed her own copy of “Americanah” and now seeks to make it a cause celebre.
And it was a boost for lawmakers who have struggled to reconcile their desire for books and teachers to be separated, and to balance a desire for students to be more educated with an interest in keeping some books out of schools. But it was not the kind of win for Democrats and Republicans that they had hoped for.
After the presentation, Senate Democratic Leader Steve Russell, R-Hobart, said he found McManus’ remarks as “an interesting and interesting-sounding introduction to public policy… but ultimately disappointing and troubling.”
McManus, a second-grade teacher at Mary Barber Elementary School and a Democrat who has embraced “Americanah” as a cause, acknowledged she is not running to be governor, but rather to be in a position to represent all Oklahomans in the Legislature when they take office in January.
“It is a very strong issue in our state,” she told
