10 Thoughts on the Oklahoma Teacher Walkout

Day 9 of the walkout, early in the morning, and thousands of teachers are already protesting.

I’ve taught high school English for a little over 20 years. In that time I’ve seen times of good and bad funding. I have watched over the course of the last 10 years as funding was continually cut year after year. Under Governor Brad Henry (our previous governor) teachers saw significant raises and school funding was at an all time high. Once Governor Mary Fallin was elected, she began cutting taxes on the wealthiest Oklahomans, dropping the gross production tax, and when the oil boom petered out she and her party lowered the GPT even more to a record 2%.

I am a father of four teenagers. Currently my grocery bill alone is right at $700 per month. I get a salary for teaching English but I am also the alternative education director and the online schooling coordinator which provides an extra stipend. My wife works, but her hourly wage provides only half of what I bring home. I do not live extravagantly. I live in my means, but do not have a savings account, have only two cars, and live in a modest house.