For second straight year, Oklahoma teachers call for funding

Oklahoma City (AP) — A year after Oklahoma educators traveled to the state Capitol seeking more classroom funding and better salaries, teachers and their supporters plan to renew those demands with another massive Capitol rally.

This time, they will have a new ally: Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister. Two months after being sworn in, the former public school teacher and ex-state Board of Education member, Hofmeister plans to add her voice to the thousands of teachers, school administrators and parents expected at the March 30 rally.

"I think it is important that we have an advocate in the state superintendent," said Hofmeister, a Republican who defeated former state Schools Superintendent Janet Barresi in the GOP primary.

Barresi was the driving force behind the state's A-F grading scale for public school performance that has been heavily criticized by administrators, educational organizations and Hofmeister, who said in the primary the scale was "not meaningful, useful or reliable." Barresi did not attend last year's rally.

"It's important that we move forward," Hofmeister said. "Coming together to support education is a worthy goal. I think it is important that we continue to have community engagement. I want to stand with parents to give the kind of support that children deserve."

Participants at the rally, which is being spearheaded by the Oklahoma Education Coalition, a public school advocacy umbrella group, plan to raise a laundry list of needs they want state lawmakers to address, including a long-term plan to improve teacher compensation, direct more resources to the classroom and increase instructional time. But the state faces a $611 million budget shortfall for the fiscal year that begins July 1, which could result in budget cuts for state agencies and services.

Rally organizers have also invited GOP Gov. Mary Fallin and Republican and Democratic legislative leaders to speak at the rally. Fallin spokesman Alex Weintz said the governor does not plan to address the state's teachers, but that "she certainly welcomes them to the Capitol and is happy they are getting involved in the process."

Low salaries are a principal reason why Oklahoma has about 1,000 teachers fewer than it needs, education officials say. The average teacher salary is about $44,000 a year, lowest in a seven-state region includes bordering states, according to figures provided by the state Department of Education.

Since she became superintendent, Hofmeister often uses the Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant chain to illustrate how Oklahoma's teacher salaries are not competitive with other states, or even other industries. A third-level apprentice manager at Chipotle can earn $50,000 a year — $4,000 more than a teacher with a doctoral degree and 25 years of experience, Department of Education data shows.

"We want to get a long-term plan in place to improve compensation and bring us to the regional average," said Linda Hampton, president of the Oklahoma Education Association, the state's largest teacher organization. "We have got to be able to hire and retain quality teachers. That's what's best for students."

Hofmeister had proposed a plan to increase teacher pay by $5,000 to bring salaries to the regional average and add five days of instruction to the school year over the next five years to increase instructional days to the national average of 180, but the legislation died in the House last month.

Ryan Owens, general counsel for the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administrators and head of Oklahoma Education Coalition, said teachers are looking for "bold leadership and a laser-like focus on teacher compensation and investment."

Hofmeister said she believes state lawmakers want to "find a way to support our teachers so that we have effective teachers in every classroom. My request is that we keep education as a top priority ... and we find a way."

By Tim Talley, Associated Press. Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Gayly – March 28, 2015 @ 1:40pm.

Speeches will begin at the rally Monday, March 30, at 12:30 pm on the South Steps of the State Capitol. Parking is available at Remington Park and at Bricktown's Bass Pro Shop, with shuttle buses running from 8:30am to 4pm to and from both remote parking sites.