Corporate spending targeted SQ 779 ahead of election
They campaigned on the empty slogan that Oklahomans deserved a better plan, and now would be the perfect time to show Oklahomans that plan.” Amber England, executive director of Stand for Children Oklahoma, said in an email about the Oklahoma Deserves Better financial report.
Nearly $860,000 was spent to defeat a teacher pay-raise ballot question in the final weeks of the campaign, almost half of which came in direct and in-kind contributions from the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.
The political action committee Oklahoma Deserves Better spent aggressively on media buys in the weeks before the Nov. 8 election for State Question 779, according to campaign finance reports released this week.
Of the $6.6 million raised by the pro side, University of Oklahoma President David Boren, who had become one of the most vocal supporters of SQ 779, contributed nearly $500,000. The National Education Association, the largest teachers union in the nation, added $750,000.
The state question sought to increase the state sales tax rate by one cent on the dollar to mostly fund a $5,000 statewide teacher pay raise, along with raising moneyfor early childhood programs, state universities and CareerTech.
The opposition PAC’s effort likely paid off as polls a month before the election had showed a majority of Oklahomans supported the ballot measure, only to result in a no vote by 59 percent of statewide voters.
Oklahoma Deserves Better received over $231,000 in direct contributions from the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, $40,000 from Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores, and tens of thousands from energy companies like Chesapeake, Devon and SandRidge.
The PAC also received over $200,000 in inkind donations from the chamber.
“We were not opposed to a teacher pay increase, but this wasn’t the way to do it,” said Cynthia Reid, spokeswoman for the chamber. “Teacher pay is the number one priority on our legislative agenda this year.”
Municipal leaders from across the state expressed opposition to the pay raise ballot question as city government relies exclusively on sales tax revenue for general funding.
“They campaigned on the empty slogan that Oklahomans deserved a better plan, and now would be the perfect time to show Oklahomans that plan,” Amber England, executive director of Stand for Children Oklahoma, said in an email about the Oklahoma Deserves Better financial report.
England’s organization was the largest single funder of the PAC Oklahoma’s Children, Our Future Inc., which raised over $6.6 million in support of SQ 779.
Despite her group’s ability to outspend the opposition, England said she was disturbed that so many corporations helped defeat the state question.
“It’s hard to stomach that many of these corporations and wealthy individuals have benefited the most from special interest tax giveaways while waging a campaign to deny our teachers — many of whom rely on food pantries to feed their families — a much deserved pay raise,” England said.
Following the defeat of SQ 779, many lawmakers said a teacher pay raise plan would be a priority in 2017. Several pay-raise bills have been filed, but the state faces a $900 million budget hole.