The Kingfisher County Retired Educators Association met Wednesday, Nov. 1, at the Kingfisher Memorial Library.

Guest speakers were State Rep. Mike Dobrinski of Okeene and State Sen. Darcy Jech of Kingfisher.

Dobrinski represents District 59, which includes Kingfisher County.

Dobrinski currently serves as assistant majority whip of the 59th Oklahoma legislature.

He is a member of several House committees, including Utilities, A & B Transportation Subcommittee, Business and Commerce, Transportation and Special Conferences Committee.

Dobrinski reported that the legislature met for a special session earlier in the fall.

He also reported that the Oklahoma House will be in search of new leadership in the future since both the speaker and pro tempore will “term out.”

A brief discussion was held regarding the topic of education vouchers in the state of Oklahoma. Mr. Dobrinski then left the meeting because he was speaking to a group in Hennessey later in the day.

Jech has served as a member of the Oklahoma Senate since 2014 and will “term out” at the end of his current term.

He currently represents the 26th district of Oklahoma which includes Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Custer, and Kingfisher counties.

He is currently a member of the following committees: Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget, Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Appropriations, Natural Resource and Regulatory Services, Judiciary, Public Safety and Rules.

A discussion followed regarding the tax situation in the state of Oklahoma, especially compared to Texas, which does not have a state income tax.

KCREA member Mark Maehs shared a story regarding his son’s experience living in a suburb of Fort Worth, Texas, where property taxes have skyrocketed during the past decade due to increased property values.

Therefore, the Texas property owners may be shouldering the majority of the tax burden for the state, he said.

In the business portion of the meeting, LaRita Sipe discussed National Education Week, which will be held during the week of November 13-17.

Tins of popcorn will be distributed to the teachers’ lounges in Kingfisher County in appreciation of the work done by public schools.

A collection was taken regarding the upcoming Santa’s Toyland that will be held in December.

Regarding the project, a check will be delivered to Brittney Hladik, Kingfisher City Clerk, who also helps run the project.

The next KCREA meeting will be 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, at the Kingfisher Memorial Library.

The guest speaker will be Stephanie Simmons with Integris Stroke Awareness.

All retired public school educators and staff are welcome to attend the meeting.