In Solidarity With Oklahoma Teachers

Teachers in Oklahoma made their voices heard and walked out of their classrooms and staged rallies in protest of their extremely low pay, and following years of drastic cuts to education funding overall.

Leading up to this action, AFSA has been connecting with Greg Frederick, president of the Oklahoma City Building Administrators (OCBA), AFSA Local 79. Without adequate funding, we cannot recruit and retain the best teachers, our most valuable resource in education. This is not sustainable and deprives our students of the education they deserve, said Frederick in a statement in support of their teacher colleagues. Read the full statement here.

Teacher salaries in Oklahoma are among the lowest in the nation. Prior to walking out, teachers had demanded a $10,000 raise for themselves, a $5,000 raise for school support workers and an additional $200 million in education funding. The legislature proposed a $6,100 increase for teachers, $1,250 increase for support workers and $50 million in education funding. While many teachers appreciated the increase, the funding for education is not nearly enough. They are at the state Capitol today calling for more education funding for their classrooms, new technology and new furniture. School leaders have had to cut art and music programs, and many schools have lost support staff, which comes out of the general budget.

AFSA is proud to stand in solidarity with our local and their members, as they stand with their colleagues to fight for a brighter future for our students, teachers and families.