AP: OK Educators Support Instruction, Teacher Funding Bills
Oklahoma educators support instruction, teacher funding bills
Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s top educators are praising legislation that would dramatically increase funding for classroom instruction in the state and increase salaries for public school teachers.
With starting salaries of $31,600, Oklahoma teachers are among the lowest paid in the nation. And the state’s per pupil expenditures were among the lowest in the country in the 2012-2013 school year, according to the National Education Association. Oklahoma spent $7,912 per student when the U.S. average was $10,938.
“We are in the lower end in our teacher pay and we are in the lower end in outcomes,” said House Speaker Pro Tem Lee Denney, R-Cushing. His proposal would increase state funding for public education by $600 million over 10 years.
“I think our kids are worth it,” Denney said. “That’s the reason we should take care of the funding.”