The teacher crisis in Oklahoma doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon,reports The Oklahoman.
Last year, Oklahoma was forced to certify 1,100 emergency teachers to plug unfilled jobs due to low pay and teachers moving out of state. This year, the state Board of Education has already approved 224 more emergency certificates. Emergency teachers are hired without the traditional training expected of a public-school teacher. These last-minute stop-gap educators are forced to learn on the job.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma teachers continue to depart for Texas and other states where the pay is more livable and they feel more respected.
Last year, Oklahoma voters rejected a measure that would have raised the state sales tax by one percent in order to pay teachers more.
The State Legislature then declined to raise teacher salaries, after hinting that they planned to do so.
