Union targeting its allies in GOP

THIS year, at the Oklahoma Education Association’s urging, most Republican legislators approved roughly $600 million in tax increases and provided an average $6,100 raise per teacher while boosting the school appropriation almost 20 percent. If Republicans thought those actions, which broke campaign promises for many, would win OEA support, they’re learning otherwise now.

The OEA has released a list of teacher-affiliated candidate to bolster support for those individuals.

Reps. Greg Babinec, R-Cushing, and Scooter Park, R-Devol, both voted for tax increases and increased school funding. Both were ousted in primaries last week by OEA-touted opponents. Apparently, toeing the OEA line isn’t enough to avoid being considered “anti-education.”

Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, voted for tax increases. In April, he attended a town hall on education. In opening remarks at the event, Amanda Ewing, chief lobbyist for the OEA, introduced McBride and another lawmaker as “public education advocates.” Now the OEA is touting the candidacy of a Democrat working to defeat McBride in November.

Rep. Jadine Nollan, R-Sand Springs, voted for this year’s tax increases and has been among the most liberal members of the House Republican caucus. Nollan has openly advocated for raising the income tax rate on individuals earning as little as $8,700, and she’s called for raising energy taxes by an even greater amount than what was approved this year. Yet the OEA is highlighting the GOP candidate who forced Nollan into a runoff and the Democratic nominee Nollan could face in November.

Reps. Terry O’Donnell, R-Tulsa; Dell Kerbs, R-Shawnee; Todd Russ, R-Cordell; and Chris Kannady, R-Oklahoma City; were all tax-increase Republicans who supported 2018’s education spending increases. The OEA is touting opposing candidates in all four races.

Without the votes of the above lawmakers, teacher pay raises probably don’t happen this year. Yet now the teachers’ union is targeting lawmakers who supported the union’s agenda.

This pattern is nothing new. Two years ago, several lawmakers were elected as part of a “teacher caucus” movement. Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada, was endorsed by the OEA. His mother taught school. His father served more than 20 years on the Ada Board of Education. His wife served as vice president of the Ada City Schools Foundation.

But in a March Facebook post, McCortney wrote, “I started this job as strongly supportive of public education as a person could be. The hateful actions of educators and their supporters toward me, my wife and especially my children over the past year have started putting cracks in that wall.” After he supported a $450 million tax increase that failed because of unified Democratic opposition, McCortney wrote that Democrats who defeated the bill “were treated as champions of education” while he “was cussed at and told that I hate teachers.”

Similarly, Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair and a 20-year teacher, has written of how he was “chastised” and accused of “doing nothing” to help end the teacher walkout after he voted for tax and spending increases.

Moving ahead, Republican legislators must understand the need to pass true education reform that improves student outcomes, and not just hike taxes and spending. Because supporting reform won’t draw any more OEA opposition than what happens otherwise.