Teacher walkout question

[Medic007]

But that is the ONLY thing they did and that is not acceptable.

Why would any teacher base their decision to walk out on pay raises for other state employees in general (not teachers or support staff or anything to do with public school)?

This seems to be part of the walk out argument despite any progress made on teacher pay. I'd hate to think teachers will hold the educational process hostage for pay raises outside their scope.

 

[Wally12]

I have not heard one teacher that I work with mention anything about being tethered to state employee raises. Weird that someone would throw that on top of everything else.

 

[long-duc-dong]

Dumb question.

How much is spent/needed for class supplies per year and how much out of pocket do teachers spend in a year?

At the beginning of each year my kids teachers would have a wish list posted that parents could choose to help with. Every year the list was taken care of by the parents. The teachers I’ve been associated with don’t really have to pay anything out of pocket. I know it’s anecdotal, but that’s my experience.

 

[poke2001]

At the beginning of each year my kids teachers would have a wish list posted that parents could choose to help with. Every year the list was taken care of by the parents. The teachers I’ve been associated with don’t really have to pay anything out of pocket. I know it’s anecdotal, but that’s my experience.

Yeh, we bought a lot of stuff for my kids’ classes the last couple years. No issues doing this.

 

[Medic007]

I have not heard one teacher that I work with mention anything about being tethered to state employee raises. Weird that someone would throw that on top of everything else.

I can't link the post from the Facebook page posted earlier in the thread. It specifically mentions no raises for state employees. Glad to hear your take.

 

[Ostatedchi]

My wife said that if the current proposal passes the senate this week that the Bartlesville teachers won't walk on the 2nd. However if the Governor hasn't signed it by the 4th, then they would.

So...
Inaction by the Senate - April 2nd walk out as planned
Action by the Senate but inaction by the Gov - April 4th walk out

Any teacher walking out contrary to those terms would be on their own. (Bartlesville specific)

 

[aix_xpert]

I don’t have a clue, I would guess it depends on what you teach. I know our biology kids were doing dissections with box cutters and safety scissors at one point because there wasn’t any money for scalpels.

Was this due to money or safety concerns? I thought they were real concerns about giving kids scalpels given the current environment.

 

[Wally12]

Lack of funds. I don’t see how a box cutter would be any safer than a disposable scalpel?

 

[brtinla]

It's about 1 to 4k per year depending on the subject/teacher. I would imagine for certain districts it is higher (TPS). And those figures don't count the money you don't have to do but want too: The misc category that can go from everything to the girl who forgot her lunch money to the kid whose parents missed his deadline to pay for the field trip to the kid whose parent's don't want to pay for pictures or a yearbook. Emergency underwear when a kid wets his pants.

You can only write off 250 dollars. That is gone for ALL teachers before the school year begins as you prepare your classroom . Being a good teacher means you normally spend at least a thousand getting an empty classroom ready for materials that are not provided.

 

[Ostatedchi]

Senate just passed the House measure. The Governor now has 5 days to sign.

 

[brtinla]

I have not heard one teacher that I work with mention anything about being tethered to state employee raises

Well pay attention. The movement started via Facebook, but the OEA has taken over and given the fact state employees have also been 10 years without a raise it became exponentially more powerful to throw in our lot with them.

The recent bill that passed does not adequately fund them or the support personnel at our schools. We are 60% of the way there. To get to 100% we have to stick together.

 

[brtinla]

My wife said that if the current proposal passes the senate this week that the Bartlesville teachers won't walk on the 2nd

The rural teachers are always the outlier. OKC and Tulsa will always stick together because we know so many single mom teachers.

 

[Ostatedchi]

The rural teachers are always the outlier. OKC and Tulsa will always stick together because we know so many single mom teachers.

We'll see.

If Mary signs this bill, it will be very difficult for the teachers to walk.

 

[Ostatedchi]

The movement started via Facebook.

Actually most of this started right here in Bartlesville. But whatever.

 

[brtinla]

If Mary signs this bill, it will be very difficult for the teachers to walk.

No, It's on.

 

[Ostatedchi]

No, It's on.

Governor having a signing party today. There will be little support for a walkout now.

 

[poke2001]

Governor having a signing party today. There will be little support for a walkout now.

Yeh, even if this doesn’t do quite enough, the teachers would come across as unreasonable if they still walked out.

 

[HighStickHarry]

Brtinla at the capital by himself singing I’m hot for teachers

 

[BIGOSUFAN]

Is there any sane reason why the oil/gas production tax shouldn't be at the rate that Texas sets?

 

[3putt]

Is there any sane reason why the oil/gas production tax shouldn't be at the rate that Texas sets?

As a small (very small) producer I would be all in favor of paying the same tax Texas pays. We already pay 7.2% so bumping it up to 8% would actually be a cut in taxes. I'm assuming you would also be in favor of paying 0% in state taxes? Man that's a win/win for most oil producers in this state.

 

[brtinla]

The bill passed about a little over 1/3 of the revenue we asked for. No substantial raise for support staff and a tiny amount to plug the gap between 2008 and todays general fund levels. They have already reversed course on the hotel tax so it was all smoke and mirrors and lies to begin with.

Everyone is out Monday.

 

[Ostatedchi]

The bill passed about a little over 1/3 of the revenue we asked for. No substantial raise for support staff and a tiny amount to plug the gap between 2008 and todays general fund levels. They have already reversed course on the hotel tax so it was all smoke and mirrors and lies to begin with.

Everyone is out Monday.

And the revenue sources they chose to adopt were the worst and most regressive ones. Pretty crappy package overall.

Not sure we'll get anything more.

 

[brtinla]

Lot's of meat left on the bone without increasing income taxes. Restore the hotel tax, make the gas tax 6 cents instead of 3. Make the cig tax 1.50 instead of 1 dollar, make the GPT 7% like it used to be, etc...

Of course, I would restore income taxes to 2004 levels allowing us to fully fund public education, restore the millions cut from OSU and OU and create a massive rainy day fund like California has done (they have 18 billion saved now) to make sure we don't have an education crisis when the next recession hits.

 

[poke2001]

Lot's of meat left on the bone without increasing income taxes. Restore the hotel tax, make the gas tax 6 cents instead of 3. Make the cig tax 1.50 instead of 1 dollar, make the GPT 7% like it used to be, etc...

Of course, I would restore income taxes to 2004 levels allowing us to fully fund public education, restore the millions cut from OSU and OU and create a massive rainy day fund like California has done (they have 18 billion saved now) to make sure we don't have an education crisis when the next recession hits.

Agree on everything but cigarette tax. Not a fan of the state hoping people keep smoking to fund schools. The idea of increasing cigarette tax is to discourage smoking. If it works, revenue won’t be there.

We could live with gas tax going up. GPT going back is fine, and really not sure why the hotel tax was a big deal to take back...seems incredibly dumb.

I’d be ok with income tax going up if, and only if, we make major cuts to school administration as well.

 

[brtinla]

’d be ok with income tax going up if, and only if, we make major cuts to school administration as well.

That's always the red herring in Oklahoma. The idea that we have a bloated bureaucracy. We do not. I have seen it first hand. If anything we need more Principles and more people in Admin. They are worked to the bone.

I think the idea is created when people compare current teacher ratios to current staff and students with the past. In 1960 we did not need a large English language learners staff. We didn't understand and didn't encounter large numbers of mentally ill students and thus did not need a large staff of nurses and paraprofessionals.

I honestly at every level, from classroom to the Board of Education find people working hard every day and without enough time to do everything. Cutting school admin would be disastrous and make teachers jobs much harder. In the case of special needs it would make our job impossible

 

[MR. TANNER BOYLE]

Who pays the most prod tax in ok? Im assuming it’s the big ok based independents?

 

[cableok]

I’d be ok with income tax going up if, and only if, we make major cuts to school administration as well.

Where is the massive thumbs down button?

 

[poke2001]

Where is the massive thumbs down button?

Back up to the level it was at a few years ago. Should have probably not been cut then.

 

[brtinla]

Massive thumbs up for income tax going back to where it was in 2004.

 

[poke2001]

That's always the red herring in Oklahoma. The idea that we have a bloated bureaucracy. We do not. I have seen it first hand. If anything we need more Principles and more people in Admin. They are worked to the bone.

I think the idea is created when people compare current teacher ratios to current staff and students with the past. In 1960 we did not need a large English language learners staff. We didn't understand and didn't encounter large numbers of mentally ill students and thus did not need a large staff of nurses and paraprofessionals.

I honestly at every level, from classroom to the Board of Education find people working hard every day and without enough time to do everything. Cutting school admin would be disastrous and make teachers jobs much harder. In the case of special needs it would make our job impossible

I’m talking higher up admin for the most part, superintendents and their staff, primarily throughout the tiny districts in the state.

 

[cableok]

Back up to the level it was at a few years ago. Should have probably not been cut then.

100% disagree. In this country we way overindex on taking earned money from taxpayers.

 

[poke2001]

100% disagree. In this country we way overindex on taking earned money from taxpayers.

Agree on fed level for sure.

 

[Medic007]

The idea that we have a bloated bureaucracy. We do not.