“When new potential employers are raising concerns about our commitment to public education and using it as a reason for not accepting positions here, our local businesses and industries suffer greatly,” Smithwick said. “We all know that perception is reality. Even though we know we have wonderful school districts, with great teachers serving our students every single day, the negative publicity we are receiving now beyond Oklahoma does not help us. It makes the problem even worse.”

Broken Arrow Public Schools Superintendent Jarod Mendenhall said he was pleasantly surprised when representatives of the city and the Chamber of Commerce reached out to him to hold the joint news conference because it is becoming more difficult each year for him and other Oklahoma school district superintendents to recruit and retain qualified teachers.

“We cannot wait any longer,” Mendenhall said. “This is a real crisis, folks. ... I urge lawmakers to act swiftly as they enter the next legislative session before more teachers make a difficult decision to leave the education profession. Give teachers the pay they deserve so that we can ensure that we have a quality teacher in every single classroom.”