More on Day 5 of the walkout.
Staff Writer bfelder@oklahoman.com
If state lawmakers eliminate the capital gains tax deduction and the governor vetoes a bill repealing a hotel/motel tax, the teacher walkout will end, according to Oklahoma Education Association President Alicia Priest.
However, Priest would not say how much of the revenue potentially generated by those two measures would have to be earmarked for public schools.
On day five of a statewide teacher walkout, as thousands of educators returned to the Capitol to advocate for more school funding, the Senate passed two revenue-raising measures, one of which will direct around $20 million to education.
The Senate also voted to repeal a hotel/motel tax that was originally part of a tax package approved last month.
Priest said the governor had to veto the Senate’s repeal for the walkout to end.
She also said the House had to pass a bill that would do away with the capital gains tax deduction, which could generate more than $100 million, according to figures from the Oklahoma Tax Commission.
“We hope capital gains goes back on the table,” said Barbara Bayless, a reading specialist from Choctaw, who had arrived at the Senate chamber well before 6 a.m. to claim a seat in the viewing gallery.
Despite blustery weather, thousands of teachers rallied outside the Capitol, including
some who spelled out the words “CAPITAL GAINS” and were visible from the upper floors of the Capitol building.
Teachers inside cheered when Priest announced that ending the walkout would depend on passing the capital gains tax, along with the governor’s veto of the hotel/motel tax repeal.
“We’ll be back,” teachers chanted, setting up the walkout to continue Monday.
Priest met with reporters in the afternoon but would not say how much of the potential revenue raised from the measures the OEA demanded would have to be directed to public education, if any at all. “The reality is (all government agencies) need funding because of the cuts to all services,” Priest said. “We’re here asking for funding for education because investing in education is investing in the economic future of our state.”
When asked if the walkout would end even if both measures were approved, but no money went to the school funding formula, Priest said, “I think we have to get them passed and work on getting funding to public education.”
When asked again for a specific amount of money for public education, Priest did not offer a number.
“We will continue to advocate for funding public education and filling the hole that the Legislature has made over the past 10 years,” Priest said. “That’s what we are advocating for and that’s really all I have to say about that.”
On Friday, the Senate approved a sales tax on
third-party internet sales, which is estimated to raise $20 million annually. An amendment to the bill will ensure that all of it goes to education. The Senate also approved the repeal of the hotel/motel tax that was removed from a major revenue package last week.
“We were very clear ... that in order to pass House Bill 1010xx, which was the biggest revenue package we have ever done, dedicated to education and state employees, we had to remove hotel/ motel tax,” Senate Majority Floor Leader Greg Treat said. “That has not been a secret.”
HB 1010xx used more than $400 million in new taxes to fund a $6,100 teacher pay raise, pay for textbooks and direct about $18 million to general education spending.
With the walkout continuing on Monday, many schools across the state will remain closed, including Oklahoma City, Edmond, Norman and Tulsa.
The continuation of the walkout means thousands of students will remain out of school just as students are scheduled to begin taking state-mandated tests.
It also means parents will have to continue to navigate school closures for a second week.
For those parents who joined in the rally at the Capitol, the closing of schools is worth it.
“We understand, especially as parents, that right now our children are not in school,” said Alleen Jones, a Harrah parent. “We have kids at home that are begging to go back to school, begging to be with their teachers. But the point is we are doing this so my kid is not sitting in a classroom with 35 other kids. So that my kid can come home and actually bring a textbook so they can do their homework.”