Teachers fill Capitol to capacity
On the fourth floor of the Oklahoma state Capitol, a mass of teachers gathered just before the entrance to the House chamber while lawmakers met on the other side of the giant wooden doors. As their chants of “we’re not leaving” echoed off the walls of the 101-year-old building, the teachers took a seat on the marble floor.
A state trooper pleaded with the crowd to clear a walking path or risk arrest, his voice rising to
to a shout as the teachers’ chants grew louder.
But sitting calmly in the middle of the protest was Jenny Crow, who scribbled away on a note card before sealing it inside an envelope with House Speaker Charles McCall’s name written on it.
“I was just thinking about what difference can I make right now,” said Crow, who is a physical education teacher at Adams Elementary in Norman. “I thought I would slide cards under lawmaker doors and tell them my story.”
Crow’s story includes a shortage of classroom supplies and equipment, and the fact that she often teaches two classes at a time with more than 60 students.
As hundreds of schools remained closed across the state for the second day of a statewide teacher walkout, thousands of educators returned to the Capitol to demand an increase in public school funding.
At one point Tuesday, Capitol officials closed several entrances after the building reached capacity.
Teachers filled each floor of the Capitol, shouting into the rotunda beneath the building’s dome.
“I feel like it’s an even more productive day than it was on Monday,” Crow said. “There is more of a sense of urgency today that we need to be in there talking to legislators.”
Inside the House chamber, lawmakers conducted routine business as even more teachers filled the viewing gallery.
Democrats attempted to bring up a vote to repeal the capital gains tax deduction to pump more money into education, which drew applause from teachers and then the waving of hands when they were instructed not to make noise.
But the bill was never heard as the Republican majority refused to consider it, all while teachers outside the chamber doors yelled louder.
As Democrats exited the House floor they raised their fists and encouraged the teachers to keep fighting.
“Put it up for a vote and let the constituents see where the politicians really stand on this issue,” said Rep. Collin Walke, D-Oklahoma City. “If (teachers) stay with their message to put capital gains up for a vote, or quite frankly any other revenueraising measure that will fill the hole and then add some to common education, that’s the important thing. They have to stay firm.”
However, some lawmakers said the walkout hadn’t swayed them to approve any more funding.
“I’m not voting for another stinking measure when they’re acting the way they are acting,” Rep. Kevin McDugle, R-Broken Arrow, said about teachers in a video he posted to social media. “This is not the way to go about it.”
But teachers said they would remain at the Capitol until a substantial funding increase was approved.
“I’m here for as long as it takes; I’m here for the students,” said Patrika Renschen, a seventh-grade math teacher from Deer Creek. “I’m holding out hope.”
Teachers also filled the grounds around the Capitol as thousands gathered near the south steps, while others marched around the building.
A DJ played music that included Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” and “We’re Not Going To Take It,” by Twisted Sister.
Throughout the afternoon the teachers outside the Capitol broke out in cheers each time it was announced another school district had confirmed it would remain closed on Wednesday.
Near a row of Oklahoma state flags, a group of high school band directors broke out in a rendition of the song “The Final Countdown.”
On the north side of the Capitol, dozens of teachers held signs on the grass park that covers part of NE 23 Street, receiving honks from motorists driving beneath.
But inside the Capitol, the atmosphere was more intense as teachers shifted their focus from the House to the Senate, which also did not take up any education funding measures during an afternoon session.
The crowd chanted “fund our schools,” until it was announced the Senate session had ended.
“They are afraid of you,” shouted Katherine Bishop, vice president of the Oklahoma Education Association, which organized the walkout.
As teachers boarded buses to leave in the late afternoon they vowed to return.
A group of teachers also announced they would begin a 110-mile march from Tulsa to the Capitol on Wednesday morning.
“I’m going to be here as long as it takes,” Crow said.