Senate, House staff get raises while state undergoes cuts

Oklahoma State Senate staffers were given nearly $146,000 in raises in the past two years.

The raises were given to 25 staff members.

In two years, one staffer who earned a promotion and took on additional duties saw a salary hike of 66 percent, according to information provided by the Senate.

Another saw a pay increase of nearly 27 percent, according to information provided by the Senate.

The smallest pay hike was 1.25 percent. The largest increase going to a staffer for the twoyear period was $29,831, according to information provided by the Senate.

“The bulk of the raises we have given out in the Senate over the last couple of years have dealt with people taking on additional job responsibilities,” said Senate President Pro Tem Mike Schulz, R-Altus. “We have had a few retirements and moving people back into those positions. So, they are definitely taking on more job responsibilities to warrant the pay raises.”

Since Jan. 1, the Oklahoma House has given out raises of at least $127,000 to 14 employees.

The raises were given to retain employees, according to Jason Sutton, a spokesman for House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka.

The raises come at a time when lawmakers are considering tax hikes on cigarettes and fuel to fund a teacher pay raise and to pay for core services.

The raises also come after years of cuts to state agencies due to the state budget.

Shawna Mott-Wright is vice president of the Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association.

“We do not begrudge anyone getting a raise,” she said. “We just want people to realize teachers do more with less all the time and particularly within the last decade.”

Oklahoma classrooms have more students and fewer teachers and resources, she said.

The Oklahoma Education Association is asking for a $10,000 raise for teachers and a $5,000 raise for support professionals, both over three years, said Doug Folks, an OEA spokesman.

Mott-Wright said for her to be making what she made a decade ago, it would take an additional $6,000 just to keep up with inflation and rising costs.

The Oklahoma Public Employees Association also is seeking a pay hike for state workers, and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections is seeking $10 million for a 5 percent across-the-board raise for staffers.