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Kentucky teachers rally for education funding

April 03, 2018 12:17·

'It Really Is a Wildfire': Teachers Go on Strike in Oklahoma and Kentucky

"Stop the war on public education!" "I don't know what I'm going to hear here [from Rep. Cleveland.] You get more flies with honey than vinegar".

Durant ISD plans to reopen schools on Tuesday, but these students and teachers said they'll keep speaking out until the state better funds Oklahoma schools.

"I am here to encourage legislators to fund education to reduce class sizes and get more qualified teachers and stay in Oklahoma", said Tara Nedrow, a high school teacher from Union High School.

The Courier-Journal newspaper said that all 120 public school districts in that state were closed although most were already on their Spring break vacation.

The downtown event showed support for the teachers protesting in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma ranks 47th in the nation in public school revenue per student, almost $3,000 below the national average, while its average teacher salary of $45,276 ranks 49th, according to the most recent statistics from the National Education Association. State funding for education has also declined more than 28 percent per student over the past 10 years. Teachers who retired were not replaced due to lack of funding, so current teachers have had to bring those students into their classrooms.

The state legislature approved an average $6,100 teacher pay raise last week but fell well short of Oklahoma Education Association's - the state's largest education union - demand for $200 million to restore funding cuts from the past decade. An additional $50 million was allocated for the state aid funding formula and textbooks. But some educators say that isn't good enough.

Kentucky teacher Irma Jones said she walked out Monday in support of her students, many of whom are forced to put up with bad conditions due to the dire need for school funding.

A student holds a sign outside the Capitol while rallying for increased education funding Monday, April 2, 2018 in Oklahoma City.

"I think the Republican strategy is to wait the teachers out", Walke said. "Copies are limited in schools to maybe 30 a week".

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Thousands of Oklahoma teachers skipped classes to participate in a statewide walkout over teacher pay and education funding.

"It's nearly like the oil and gas people have more say than the people that actually voted (lawmakers) in", Alberto Morejon says as we stroll his campus in Stillwater. "To see them be able to use the skills we introduce to them, to take ownership of them and use them in independent settings, is incredibly inspiring".

Teachers will have a limited number of sick days they can put toward their retirement.

The pension bill, which Bevin is expected to sign before the legislative session ends this week, did not contain some provisions teachers had been most angry about, including a cap on annual cost-of-living adjustments.

Raylynn Thompson, 16, a top student at Muskogee High, said her history textbook is at least 10 years old, - stopping at the 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama.

"Educators are fed up that our schools are underfunded".

Passage followed threats by educators to walk out of classrooms beginning Monday, following the lead of teachers in West Virginia who won a 5 per cent raise after going on strike.

Republican lawmakers in Kentucky passed a pension overhaul Thursday that preserves benefits for most workers but cuts them for new teachers.

They're also in it for the long-haul, advocating for a tax change to help pay for school funding that will be on the ballot in November.

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