Teachers across Oklahoma to strike Monday despite $6K raise

John Bacon | USA TODAY

More than 40,000 teachers and thousands of support staff across Oklahoma pledged to walk off their jobs Monday despite a $6,100 teacher pay raise rushed through the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin.

“This package does not overcome a shortfall that has caused four-day weeks and overcrowded classrooms that deprive kids of the one-on-one attention they need,” Oklahoma Education Association President Alicia Priest said in a video posted on Facebook. “We must keep fighting for everything our students deserve.”

Thousands of teachers and supporters are scheduled to rally Monday at the state Capitol as Oklahoma becomes the latest state to be plagued by teacher strife.

West Virginia teachers returned to work last month after almost two weeks on the picket lines. Thousands of teachers in Arizona rallied last week, seeking a pay raise amid talk of a possible strike. And a wave of school closures swept Kentucky last week after teachers, frustrated by pension changes, requested substitutes or called in sick.

The Oklahoma Education Association, the state's largest teacher union, is calling for $10,000 raises over three years, $5,000 raises for bus drivers, custodians and other staff, and restoration of tens of millions of dollars in education funding trimmed in recent years.

More: West Virginia teacher strike ends, some schools to reopen Wednesday

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Priest said teachers don't trust lawmakers to fix the problems facing the schools. She said lawmakers can begin restoring trust by "keeping their word."

"We are walking because, despite the historic down payment made by lawmakers, politicians have already gone back on their promises and have begun dismantling the funding needed to pay for the bill," Priest said. "It’s political stunts like these and years of irresponsible budgeting and broken promises that got us into this mess to begin with."

In 2016, the average salary for a teacher in Oklahoma was $45,276 — ranking the state ahead only of Mississippi. But Priest and many of her teachers say the problems in Oklahoma extend far beyond salaries. They point to crowded classrooms, aging books and battered facilities.

Crucial state funding for Oklahoma schools has declined more than 28% per student in the last decade, more than any other state, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Becky Dukes has been teaching art at Carnegie Elementary School in Tulsa for a decade. She told the Tulsa World the cuts have made it more difficult to teach effectively.

“Little, small increments have been taken away over the years so that you forget what you used to have,” Dukes said.

Fallin signed the pay raise legislation Thursday, describing it as "an historic revenue package to fund the largest teacher pay raise in state history." Oklahoma teachers, however, say they are prepared to fight for their students. And they say they are not alone.

"More than 100 school boards across the state have passed resolutions in support of teachers taking action," the association said in a statement. "It’s not an overstatement to say Oklahomans are with us. And they truly believe now is the time."