OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The state Capitol in Kentucky filled with teachers protesting pension changes and demanding generous school funding Monday, and thousands of Oklahoma educators walked out of classrooms in the latest evidence of teacher rebellion in some Republican-led states.
Many Oklahoma schools were closed Monday, and districts announced plans to stay shut into Tuesday with teacher demonstrations expected to last a second day.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signed legislation last week granting teachers pay raises of about $6,100, or 15 to 18 percent. But some educators – who haven’t seen a pay increase in 10 years – say that isn’t good enough and walked out.
Teachers from across Kentucky gather outside the state Capitol to rally for increased funding and to protest changes to their state funded pension system, Monday, April 2, 2018, in Frankfort, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)The state’s largest teachers union has demanded a $10,000 pay raise for educators over three years, $5,000 for support personnel and a $75 million increase in funding this year.
“If I didn’t have a second job, I’d be on food stamps,” said Rae Lovelace, a single mom and a third-grade teacher at Leedey Public Schools in northwest Oklahoma. Lovelace, among many teachers who moonlight for extra pay, works 30 to 40 hours a week at a second job teaching online courses for a charter school.