After the WV legislature refused teacher raises, then proposed a 4% raise, they have reportedly reached an agreement for a 5% raise negotiated with the Governor after their walkout. Teachers are skeptical and waiting until the Governor signs the bill before returning to work. After years of pay cuts, WV teachers struck when the legislature initially agreed to a 2% raise this year and another 1% next year.
In 2016, the average salary for a teacher in West Virginia was $45,622, ranking it 48th in the country, according to the National Education Association. Teachers have said they pay $1000 to $1500 out of their own pocket for miscellaneous supplies. Teachers are struggling under higher healthcare deductibles, premiums and have not had contributions to their retirement from the state for years. In addition to cuts in teachers' health insurance, WV proposed to drop teacher seniority, which would give schools increased flexibility when faced with layoffs.
WV teachers have been leaving the state. One teacher said:
“I live 40 miles from Virginia, 40 miles form Maryland. All we have to do is cross those lines and we can make $12,000 or $15,000 more, plus those benefits.”
As one of the poorest states in the U.S., many families rely on school meals for their children. Food banks have stepped up to help feed many of the 277,137 students enrolled in their public schools.
Oklahoma teachers may be next to strike as their legislature just finished up without providing any raise to teachers and the state education budget has been cut by about 28% over the last 10 years. Their average teacher salary is ranked 49th in the nation at $41,150, middle school teachers earn $42,380 and high school teachers make $42,460.
An
OU survey found that teachers who leave Oklahoma to teach in neighboring states make an average of $19,000 more. Of the teachers surveyed 48 percent have a master’s degree, which would make them among the most educated, and potentially highest earning, Oklahoma teachers.
One former Tulsa teacher who is now teaching in Texas said:
“Yes, I’m getting a raise of almost $20,000 — and that’s a big help to my family, especially with two kids about to be in college. But it’s not just salary. It’s retirement, it’s class size, it’s supplies. It’s about kindness and respect.”
To fill teacher vacancies, Oklahoma has been issuing emergency certifications to people without a teaching degree, which are given out when there aren't enough teachers for students. As an example, a nurse hypothetically could be given a certification to teach biology. In 2011, 32 emergency certifications were given out. As of the start of this year, over 1,000 were distributed. That has affected teacher morale in Oklahoma.
A
survey of over 10,000 educators, parents, students and community members conducted by The Oklahoma Education Association claims that nearly 80 percent of respondents said they would support a plan to close schools in order to force the legislature to focus on education.
Oklahoma like many other Republican states has slashed taxes recently. Now Gov Fallin called for teacher raises and increases in some taxes.
Oklahoma took in $1 billion in gross receipts in December, a 12% increase for the month that was fueled in part by a nearly 43% increase in taxes levied on gross oil and natural gas production, said State Treasurer Ken Miller, who reported that gross receipts grew at a rate of 6.2% during the 2017 calendar year, totaling $11.4 billion, $667.6 million more than in 2016. Gross production taxes on oil and gas accounted for $537.2 million of the 2017 total, a 53.4% increase ($187 million) from the previous year. With the failure of the legislature to pass any teacher raise, none of that $667 million increase went to teachers.
Tax Cuts Put Oklahoma In A Bind. Now Gov. Fallin Wants To Raise Taxes (NPR)
Tax cuts in Oklahoma tend to be permanent, since voters passed a ballot measure requiring 75 percent of the Legislature to vote in favor of any revenue hike. Teachers' raises bill did not get a vote of 75% of the legislature. Currently, it's estimated that 20% of Oklahoma schools have class four days a week.
