Support the teachers who are on strike in Oklahoma.
Teachers in Oklahoma are among the most underpaid in America, ranking 49th out of 50 in 2016. It also ranked 47th out of 50 in that year for expenditures on K-12 students.
While the Oklahoma state legislature did pass a $6,100 pay raise in late March, that move fell far short of the teachers’ demands. They plan to walk out on Monday, April 2.
In addition to a $10,000 raise for teachers and a $5,000 raise for support personnel, the teachers want the state to increase spending on its schools by $200 million over three years, and it wants the state to reverse certain budget cuts.
The budget cuts have forced teachers to deal with overcrowded classrooms. About a fifth of the state’s schools have had to adopt four-day weeks due to lack of funds.
You can stay on top of the walkout by watching the webpage of the Oklahoma Education Association, which will protest at the state capitol starting on Monday, April 2, 2018:
Also follow the OEA on Twitter:
@okea
And like it on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Oklahoma.Education.Association
If you live in or near Oklahoma, you can pledge to join the walkout:
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/pledge-to-walk-on-april-2nd
Another source of walkout news is Oklahoma Teachers United, whose Twitter handle is:
@TeacherOklahoma
Like the Oklahoma Teachers United Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Oklahomateachersunited/
You can also follow VOICE OKC, Voices Organized in Civic Engagement, on Twitter:
@voiceokc
See VOICE OKC’s website:
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Read background on the conditions that led to the Oklahoma teachers’ strike:
http://time.com/5220561/oklahoma-teacher-strike-pay-raise-bill/
https://www.vox.com/2018/3/29/17164284/oklahoma-teachers-strike
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/why-oklahoma-teachers-will-walk-out-monday