The Oklahoma legislature is failing teachers—and students.
Oklahoma has
led the nation in funding cuts to education:
A new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows state aid to Oklahoma’s public schools is 23.6 percent lower for the current fiscal year than it was in 2008 — and that the margin between Oklahoma and the second-worst state has grown in the last year.
“The reduced levels reflect primarily the lingering effects of the 2007-09 recession. At a time when states and the nation need workers with the skills to master new technologies and adapt to the complexities of a global economy, this decline in state educational investment is cause for concern,” states the report.
The situation for teachers in Oklahoma has gone from
bad to worse:
Teachers are in such high demand in Oklahoma, the situation has been called an emergency – literally.
In just two years, the number of “Emergency Certification” requests from schools has risen from 97 to 499, according to the State Department of Education.
Why are teachers leaving the profession and/or the state? Head below the fold to find out.
Sooner state teachers are among the lowest paid in the country, with a starting salary of approximately $31,600.
Hime points out they haven’t received a state pay raise in eight years.
Eight years without a raise. Nationwide, the average high school teacher makes
$55,360. As a result of slashed budgets, no raises and exceptionally low pay, Oklahoma is seeing the free market in action as educators flee the the business and/or the state all together:
“The Gainesville’s, the other schools will cross (state lines),” Hime said. “They’ll come over to the Holiday Inn of Ardmore, set up a teacher fair, and write bonus checks for teachers if they teach math, if they teach science, if they speak spanish.”
When you add it all up, there is now a
massive teacher shortage:
"We're at a crisis point in this state when it comes to our teacher shortage," State Superintendent Janet Barresi said in August when she convened the first meeting of the Oklahoma Education Workforce Shortage Task Force.
"For years we've seen shortages in subjects such as science and math, but now we are starting to see this spread to areas such as elementary and early childhood. That's a new phenomenon and one that must be reversed."
What will it take for the Republican-controlled Oklahoma legislature to wake up and start paying their teachers more? Empty teacher lounges ought to be a clue.