Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — More than 7,000 educators, parents and schoolchildren rallied at the state Capitol on Monday seeking a big boost in funding for public schools, but that goal will be a challenge for legislators facing a $611 million hole in the state budget.
Wearing T-shirts from their hometown schools, attendees wandered the halls of the Capitol and congregated outside legislators' offices to talk about the importance of more education money.
"They all seem to be pro-education," Suzie Woods, a teacher at Will Rogers Junior High School in Claremore, said of the lawmakers, "but the proof is in the pudding."
Sen. Clark Jolley, the chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, said lawmakers intend to shield education from cuts as much as possible, but that will lead to bigger reductions for other state agencies.
"Common education represents $2.4 billion out of a $7.1 billion budget, so clearly it is the biggest commitment of funding in the state," the Edmond Republican said.
A year ago, an estimated 25,000 attended a similar rally seeking a big boost in funding for public schools and an end to tax cuts that were cutting into available state revenue. They received neither.
"They ignored your demands for change," House Democratic Leader Rep. Scott Inman told the cheering crowd, urging them to hold politicians accountable at the ballot box. "You must make them listen."
Among the anti-education bills that the Del City Democrat pointed to was a measure approved by the Oklahoma Senate last week and sent to Gov. Mary Fallin that prohibits school districts from deducting union dues from teachers' checks. Supporters of the bill say the state shouldn't be in the business of collecting dues, but many opponents say the measure is aimed at limiting teachers' ability to organize.
Fallin was invited to speak at the event, but was not able to attend because of a previous engagement, press secretary Michael McNutt said.
Rep. Lee Denney, R-Stillwater, drew boos and was heckled repeatedly after she mentioned charter schools in her speech. Charter schools receive public funding but operate independently of most state mandates.
This year, attendees are hoping lawmakers will help address a shortage of teachers, who are among the lowest paid in the nation. The average starting salary for a teacher in Oklahoma is about $31,000. Educators also are seeking a reduction in the number of mandatory tests each year.
Organizers had expected as many as 50,000 attendees, but Oklahoma Highway Patrol Maj. Rusty Rhoades said a preliminary estimate placed the crowd number at between 7,000 and 8,000.
Many educators during last year's rally openly opposed then-state Superintendent Janet Barresi, a Republican who pushed for education reforms such as high-stakes reading tests for third graders and an A-F grading system for schools that were unpopular with rank-and-file teachers.
Barresi lost in a GOP primary to new Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, who is pushing for increased salaries for teachers and replacing high-stakes, end-of-instruction tests for high school seniors with the ACT test used for college admission.
"It's a new day," Hofmeister told the crowd. "It's not about party. It's not about Democrats. It's not about Republicans.
"It's about results for kids. That's why we stand here together."
___
Sean Murphy can be reached at www.twitter.com/apseanmurphy
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
