Voters Reject Statewide Teacher Tax
Oklahoma State Question 779: Teacher pay raise measure fails
by Randy Ellis
A ballot measure that would have raised the state sales tax by a penny to pay for a $5,000 pay raise for teachers and other education improvements was soundly defeated Tuesday.
Yes votes on State Question 779 were trailing no votes 581,892 (40.58 percent) to 852,110 (59.42 percent) Tuesday night, with all but one of 1,956 precincts reporting.
University of Oklahoma President David Boren, a strong backer of the measure, conceded defeat Tuesday evening.
Boren said now that voters have rejected a sales tax increase as a funding mechanism for teacher raises, it is up to the Legislature to “come up with a plan and get the job done.”