Okla. teacher strikes cancel school for 234,000 students
They’re demanding higher pay and better funding for education
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma teachers continued to rally Tuesday, shuttering many schools for a second day to demand higher pay and education funding, in an effort that also recently engulfed West Virginia, Kentucky and Arizona.
Oklahoma teachers won raises last week averaging 16 percent, or $6,100 – the first pay increase for some educators in a decade – under legislation signed by Gov. Mary Fallin.
But that wasn’t enough to prevent a walkout that brought about 20,000 teachers, students and other supporters to the Oklahoma Capitol. The strike closed the 10 largest school districts in the state, with at least 234,000 students combined.
“If I didn’t have a second job, I’d be on food stamps,” said Rae Lovelace, a third-grade teacher and single mother in northwest Oklahoma who works 30 to 40 hours a week at a second job.
Oklahoma City Public Schools announced classes would again be canceled Wednesday, as the protests and legislative talks continue.
“We are hopeful that our legislators will continue working this afternoon toward a solution, but we wanted to make this decision as early as possible to give our families adequate time to plan,” the school district said in a statement.
Thousands of people outside the state Capitol were focused Tuesday on getting inside the building to fulfill the Oklahoma Education Association’s pledge to pack the rotunda.
By 10 a.m., so many people were inside the Capitol that troopers denied access above the first floor, letting people into the building only after others exited. The building’s capacity is around 1,000 people.
Students, administrators, parents, support staff and teachers cheered in turn, with the cohort of teachers screaming the loudest.
“This is our house,” chanted people jamming three floors.
“I try not to cry because it’s been a long time coming,” said Kimberly Miller, who teaches at Santa Fe High School in Edmond. “We’ve gone without textbooks; I’m a science teacher and I go without proper equipment for labs. I’m happy people are finally seeing the reality.”
Robert Poolaw and Holliebe Collins, who both teach in Oklahoma City, lamented the lack of special education teachers and minority teachers across the state. The best teachers leave to make more money in other states, they said.
Fallin, a Republican, warned Monday that the state budget was tight and there are other priorities besides education.
“We must be responsible not to neglect other areas of need in the state, such as corrections and health and human services, as we continue to consider additional education funding measures,” Fallin said.
Oklahoma’s average teacher salary of $45,276 ranked 49th among states and the District of Columbia before the raises, according to the National Education Association.
The state also ranked 47th in public school revenue per student, according to the teachers’ union.
Kaila White and Bart Jansen