Teacher protests put GOP on the spot in red states
OKLAHOMA CITY — A teacher walkout in Oklahoma entered its third day Wednesday in a red state rebellion stretching from West Virginia to Arizona that is putting Republican lawmakers on the spot politically.
In Oklahoma, most Republicans last week broke with the party orthodoxy and endorsed hundreds of millions of dollars in tax increases to fund public schools and give teachers a raise of 15 to 18 percent. But now that’s forcing them to walk a fine line in the months before midterm elections between placating constituents who are angry over education cuts and conservative supporters who want a smaller government and low taxes.
They acted after Oklahoma teachers demanded action, inspired by a nine-day strike in West Virginia, where they won a 5 percent raise. The rebellion also has spread to Kentucky as teachers thronged the state Capitol Monday to protest cuts in pensions. And in Arizona, restive teachers demonstrated again Wednesday, wearing red while walking around Phoenixarea high schools and demanding a 20 percent pay raise.
But the epicenter of the revolt now is Oklahoma, where lawmakers won little praise for approving major tax increases and instead caught flak from both sides of the political divide.
“I’ve had some political blowback, people saying this will be my last term in office,” said Rep. Kyle Hilbert, a Republican from rural northeast Oklahoma, who voted for the tax increases and has gotten an earful from conservatives. “I’d rather serve one term and know I did what was best for my district.”
Some Republicans are expressing support for the teacher rebellion. Three weeks before a closely watched special election for an open congressional seat in Arizona, Republican hopeful Debbie Lesko is running a TV ad that shows her reading a book to children as she vows to “fix our schools and give our teachers the raise they deserve.”
The protests also have emboldened teachers across the country to run for office. About two dozen educators or former educators are running for office this year in Kentucky, most of them as Democrats.