Teachers union will offer up funding plan before deadline

As state lawmakers continue to debate how to fund a teacher pay raise, let alone hundreds of millions in new school, health care and state agency funding, the state’s largest teachers union is prepared to unveil its own proposal.

“If the Legislature is unable (to pass a funding measure) we are ready to roll one out,” said David DuVall, executive director of the Oklahoma Education Association, which has called for an April 2 teachers strike if more than $800 million in funding demands are not met for next fiscal year.

DuVall didn’t release any details but said it was important for there to be a specific plan or bill for teachers to focus their attention on during a possible walkout next month.

In recent weeks, lawmakers have debated tax increases on cigarettes, motor fuel, oil and gas production, and income in search of new revenue to pay for an increase in teacher pay, which ranks among the lowest in the nation.

A variety of tax hikes are likely needed to fund the Oklahoma Education Association’s demands, which total over $1.4 billion in new spending over the next three years.

Earlier this month, the Oklahoma Education Association announced educators would walk out of schools in April if state lawmakers failed to increase teacher salaries by $10,000, school support staff pay by $5,000 and public school funding by $200 million, along with increases in health care funding.

“There are multiple funding options out there and lawmakers have lots of decisions to make,” said Tom Dunning, communications director for

the Oklahoma Public Employees Association, which has said it will participate in next month’s strike.

While it offered a detailed list of funding requests, the Oklahoma Education Association initially said it would leave it up to lawmakers to figure out a way to pay for it.

“We are going to allow the Legislature the deference to create the revenue package that will be required to pay for the needs of our students and schools that we are demanding today,” OEA president Alicia Priest said at a March 8 news conference.

In the weeks since, the state Legislature has considered a few proposals to fund a teacher pay raise, but nothing close to what the teachers union has asked for.

In a Wednesday interview with The Oklahoman, DuVall said he remained optimistic that a deal could be reached before next month. But he said his organization will offer its own funding proposal

before the strike deadline if lawmakers fail to act.

“We know that there are groups of Republicans and Democrats talking to each other and we have seen some plans that they are working on,” DuVall said. “Plans keep popping up but many of them are completely inadequate.”

When the Oklahoma Education Association led a teachers strike in 1990, it focused its advocacy efforts on passing the emergency clause for House Bill 1017, which made a recently approved teacher pay and school funding law effective immediately.

As of today, there is no specific bill or proposal that the union and its members can push for.

“If you look back to 1990, having a specific piece of legislation made it easier,” DuVall said. “With an actual proposal, it was easier to focus on those specific legislators who we needed to change their votes.

“Today is more nebulous, there are more moving parts that make it more difficult. All that said, it’s still doable and I still believe the Legislature can get something done.”

Last week, the state Senate failed to pass a bill to fund a 12.7 percent teacher pay raise.

House leaders also unveiled a substantial pay raise plan, but it lacked any funding proposals.

Bartlesville Public Schools, which has been one of the leading districts in advocating for a walkout, recently offered its own funding proposal that would increase the oil and gas gross production tax to 5 percent for three years and 7 percent afterward. The district’s plan would also add $1 to each pack of cigarettes and increase the motor fuel tax.

The proposal hasn’t been picked up by lawmakers.

“I do not recommend an attempt to use the 75 percent supermajority requirement to pass tax increases in the Legislature,” Rep. Travis Dunlap,

R-Bartlesville, said in response to the school district’s funding ideas. “I will support putting these proposals to a vote of the people.”

Raising taxes in the Legislature has been a challenge in recent months because of the requirement for 75 percent of lawmakers to vote in favor.

Taxes can also be raised by a majority of Oklahoma voters.

In 2016, voters rejected a proposed sales tax increase to fund school programs and teacher pay raises.

Voters could face another ballot question over education as a proposed oil and gas production tax increase for teacher paywas allowed to move forward this week by the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

While that state question could come before voters as early as November, thousands of teachers are pressing the Legislature to act within the next 11 days.

“I think (the Legislature) understands that a day of reckoning is approaching with the April 1 deadline,” DuVall said. “Teachers across the state are prepared to close down the schools.”

Teachers across the state are prepared to close down the schools.” David DuVall, executive director of the Oklahoma Education Association