Public schools across the state of Oklahoma shut down yesterday, as teachers protested years of spending cuts and low wages.
AsThe Washington Post reports, thousands of Educators gathered at the Oklahoma State Capitol and waved flags and Banners, while chanting and carrying signs that read: “Don’t make me use my TEACHER voice,” and “STRAIGHT OUTTA SUPPLIES.”
Rusty Bradley, a high school technology teacher from Muskogee, said he's fed up in his classroom - that the computers are over a decade old. Bradley was headed to Oklahoma City, to protest the fact that state lawmakers have repeatedly promised wage increases and not followed through.
“I want them to get off their butts and do something," he said.
The protests are part of a larger National trend. Teachers in West Virginia recently received a 5% pay increase by walking out, while schools in Kentucky are also shut down today after lawmakers slashed teacher pensions. Educators in Arizona are also threatening to strike.