The arrival of spring break didn’t stop teachers in Oklahoma from pursuing their quest for higher pay.
As KFOR reports, this week many teachers traded in their vacations to instead visit the state capitol, in hopes of convincing Oklahoma lawmakers to raise their compensation and staving off a statewide walkout on April 2nd.
Eric Winkler, president of Putnam City Association of Classroom Teachers, noted that legislators still have time to put something on that table. “If not,” he added, “teachers are prepared to walk.”
One teacher, Michael Rowley, said he wanted to make sure state representatives knew that teachers don’t want the walkout to happen. Rowley expressed his support for the Oklahoma Education Association’s plan for a $10,000 teacher raise and $5,000 raise for support staff. Republicans in the capital say they believe some sort of pay raise can happen this session, though they’re not convinced they can meet the teachers’ demands.