Okla. Officials Debate School-to Work Oversight

By Peter West

The Oklahoma attorney general has cast doubt on the future of a state school-to-work panel, created by Gov. Frank Keating, that has gained a reputation as a foe of federal training programs.

Attorney General Drew Edmondson, a Democrat, issued an opinion this month indicating that the school-to-work council, a 24-member panel appointed by the Republican governor, must soon disband unless the legislature votes to re-establish it.

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers have their own ideas about a new council. They plan to shift control of school-to-work programs back to the Oklahoma Department of Vocational and Technical Education, a solution that would be...