It is clear that the pay raise legislation is intended to give districts the maximum flexibility in implementing pay raises. Arkansas Gov. However, the Governor and legislative leaders stated publicly that the amount appropriated Oklahoma teachers have been given raises over the last four years totalling more than $7,000. To explore this issue, eSpark looked at the numbers behind teacher shortages, citing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Department of Education's Higher Education Act Title II State Report Card System. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a particularly grueling time for teachers. The aforementioned legislation makes clear that certified personnel, as defined in 70 O.S. Early budget projections showed the state is likely to have a flat budget next year. More than four in 10 responded that they "always" or "very often" felt burned out at work. A majority of the school districts in the state do not pay over the minimum salary schedule, he said. In addition, all charter schools receive state-appropriated dollars through the funding formula. StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership among Oklahomas public radio stations and relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond. There is no language in either bill requiring pay raises to begin September 1. Senate Bill 482, if passed, would prompt the state's first wage increase in four years for Oklahoma teachers. The states share of Medicaid expansion, which would be between $100 million and $150 million does not need to be appropriated next year, Mazzei said. $2 million for Lt. Gov. We have to keep pace with the surrounding states, Hofmeister said. Only five states had a lower share of students scoring proficient in 8th grade math than Oklahoma. Kevin Stitt, Joy Hofmeister speak after primary election wins. Because teacher retirement benefits are tied to the last three years of income, one impact of the teacher pay raises was to temporarily slow the pace of retirements while educators racked up credit for newly increased salaries. She can be reached at nmartinez-keel@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @NuriaMKeel. 10. "The metrics used to determine merit-based pay are controversial and inequitable," OEA President Katherine Bishop said. The proposed budget appropriates This is a year where weve just got to be fiscally prudent and careful and make sure we dont get into a position where we have to start cutting budgets next year because somewhere out there theres an economic downturn and we need to be ready for it, he said. This budget request is Hofmeisters last as state superintendent. SB 1048 plainly states that, [t]he salary increase provided for in this section shall be in addition to, and not as a replacement for, the step increase indicated for the certified employee pursuant to the State Minimum Salary Schedule. (Emphasis added.) (The Center Square) - Two bills regarding teacher raises await Oklahoma lawmakers when they begin their legislative session next month, and a third proposal for merit-based pay is on the table. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. In 2018, state lawmakers approved some of the largest tax increases in Oklahoma history, arguing a larger tax burden was required to increase teacher salaries, which politicians claimed were necessary to reduce teacher shortages. The expectation is that the total amount of pay raises will reflect an average across all certified staff of $1,220. Will the OSDE tell districts how much to spend on pay raises? But it isnt possible without your support. Support Nurias work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com. Yes. Legislative Democrats indicated they intend to fight against putting away more money in state savings accounts. The Courts opinion, effectively striking Referendum Petition 25 Gov. More:Oklahoma Supreme Court rules school districts, not governor, should decide mask mandates. Six takeaways from Gov. $4.9 million for the Oklahoma State University Medical Authority for physician recruitment and equipment needs. More:Oklahoman finalist for National Teacher of the Year says cooperation is key to future. When SB 267 was discussed and debated on the Senate floor, Pemberton, a former school administrator, warned, Theres any number of jobs that we have a real issue hiring right now.. If a district already pays the employee retirement contribution, the raise is expected to be in addition to that contribution. $3 million for the governors Quick Action Closing Fund, an economic development fund used to lure businesses and jobs to Oklahoma. No, while principals and other administrators could receive a raise under these provisions, they are not required to receive a raise. Kevin Stitt claimed it could cause some teachers to be paid $100,000 or more, though this would fall on the extreme end of the bills capacity. $4 million in appropriations and $1.5 million in reimbursements for the state to become Real ID compliant. She also questioned what sort of economic downturn it would take to justify tapping state reserves. Lawmakers are open to the idea of merit pay, Pugh said, but weve got to raise the floor of educator salaries. The salary increase provided for in this section shall be in addition to, and not as a replacement for, the step increase indicated for the certified employee pursuant to the State Minimum Salary Schedule, as provided in Section 18-114.14 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Oklahoma teacher say $2,500 pay raise not enough Franke, an educator of 20 years, said shed be happy with $2,500 as long as it goes into the Oklahomas minimum The requests will continue to the Legislature, which has the final say on state funding of education. Kevin Stitt's 2020 State of the State speech. Does the amount appropriated include district obligations? Oklahoma must address its teacher shortage and compete with surrounding states that also are mulling pay increases, Pugh said. Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, a retired educator, introduced a bill in December that would give teachers a $2,000 annual raise for the 2023-2024, 2026-2027 and 2029-2030 school years. "If we don't get this part right it gets progressively more difficult when students can't read at the later levels," Walters said. Particularly hard-hit were Midwestern and Rust Belt states, as well as seeming outliers such as Alaska and Florida, whose Department of Education outlined critical shortages in no fewer than eight subject areas going into the 2019-2020 school year. Were trying everything we can to get young people back involved and keep older teachers in the system.. $10 million for the Digital Transformation Fund. But by the 2019-2020 school year, the number of teachers fell to 3.2 million and by 2020-2021 to just over 3 million. Oklahoma He told The Center Square he hoped the pay raises would alleviate the state's teacher shortage. A working paper from Brown University's Annenberg Institute released in March 2022 cautioned that limited data had "led to considerable uncertainty and conflicting reports about the nature of staffing challenges in schools." Should the Legislature agree to the increase, Oklahomas average teacher pay would rise to $59,000. No. Matt Pinnells efforts to create a cohesive brand for the state. 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Tax hikes, pay raises, fail to stem Oklahoma teacher shortage Hofmeister is the Democratic nominee for governor and the top challenger to Stitt, a Republican, in the Nov. 8 general election. The number of undergraduate education degrees conferred each year remained stable until the early 2010s, when a gradual decline soon led to fewer than 90,000 bachelor's degrees being awarded in the 2018-2019 school year. A Wall Street Journal analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that as of last November, resignations in educational work including teachers grew faster than in any other industry. Oklahoma teachers have been given raises over the last four years totalling more than $7,000. Lawmakers acknowledged that the teacher shortage in Oklahoma was larger this year than it was prior to the tax increases and pay raises, and that the teacher shortage is expected to grow even larger next year. State education officials said in a news release that it will require about $310 million to fully fund the teacher pay raise for Oklahoma's 52,850 The intent is clear and the OSDE supports this expectation. A Gallup poll released in June 2022 found that workers in K-12 schools reported the highest rates of burnout of any field in the country. Oklahoma Budget FY 2020 Highlights SAVINGS $200 million in Oklahomas savings account, putting Oklahoma on the path to storing two months of expenses, more I cover politics, appellate courts, state agencies and the governor. Please reload the page and try again. With teacher shortages affecting schools nationwide, educators share how pay, parents, politics and the pandemic have led some to leave the profession. The cost to the state would be $1.6 million, Pugh said. Pemberton said he hopes measures passed last year like the Oklahoma Future Teacher Scholarship and Employment Initiative Program combined with more legislative efforts this year will start attracting new teachers and retaining current teachers. Are any districts exempt from giving a pay raise? "Our students deserve educators who are compensated and respected as the professionals they are. Six takeaways from Gov. The number of students completing teacher education programs fell by more than one-third between 2008 and 2019, according to a 2022 report by the AACTE. 2. We need to put more money into the (education funding) formula. A districts salary averages are affected by both its salary policies and the experience level of its teachers. School Personnel Salary Information | Oklahoma State First through fourth-year teachers would see $3,000 raises. Charter schools are exempt from minimum salary requirements. By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with Oklahoma Watch and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from Oklahoma Watch. A high estimate of the cost to the state would be $25 million, he said. Oklahoma starts its minimum salary scale at $36,601 for first-year educators. The underpaid teacher report for FY 20 will be based on the existing Minimum Salary Schedule in 70 OS 18-114.14. This document is intended to assist LEAs in implementing the provisions of House Bill 2765 and Senate Bill 1048, specifically as they relate to salary increases for certified personnel during the 2019-2020 school year. Giving Oklahomas teachers a pay raise has been proclaimed as one of the highest priorities of legislators and Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic, Stanley Hupfeld at Western Village (Charter), Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences (Charter. Phone: 405-528-2465. 6. He has two decades of experience in journalism and communications. The state minimum salary did not increase, and the language pertaining to the 2018-2019 pay raise that explicitly required the raise in addition to what the individual made in the prior year was not renewed. While at The Oklahoman, he was the recipient of several awards, including first place in the editorial writing category of the Associated Press/Oklahoma News Executives Carl Rogan Memorial News Excellence Competition for an editorial on the history of racism in the Oklahoma legislature. Previous pay raises for all educators have proven to increase quality candidates to the profession.". Stitt unveiled Monday his executive budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. After the October 1 personnel reporting period, OSDE will publish a report including the difference in pay for each teacher and an average pay raise amount for each district. The teacher pay boost would be Oklahomas first in three years, if lawmakers approve it. Donateonline. Read the reports and hear the stories onNPR member stations. It took three years to get there, but we had to start with lets put facts in front of our legislators, lets talk about what it would actually cost to keep teachers. Pugh said he wanted to make sure that when a teacher has a baby, she does not have to make a choice to come back to the classroom before she is emotionally, mentally and physically ready to do so. Oklahoma teachers could get pay raise from $541 million As such, the salary increase is effective July 1, 2019. She is term limited after eight years in office. Its also the fourth lowest in the region. The state has too many needs that have been unmet, Senate Minority Leader Kay Floyd said. 3. Pemberton said its up to the legislature to catch Oklahoma up. Can this be paid as a stipend/bonus? $5,000 pay raise proposal for Oklahoma teachers passes The intent and expectation is for certified personnel, as defined in 70 O.S. It also found that more than three-quarters had increased their teaching and nonteaching staff to levels exceeding those before the pandemic. Weve slipped to number four in the region, so that means Texas and Colorado and New Mexico and a lot of these states are paying more and are drawing our teachers out of the state, Pemberton said. The measure, which the governor backed, would use excess lottery proceeds to pay for half of a teachers raise. 1 in the region this year. The bill moves next to the Senate Appropriations and Budget Committee.