On Monday, April 2nd, tens of thousands of Oklahoma teachers shut down virtually the entire public school system across the state when they showed up en masse at the capitol complex. Their grievances were both numerous and profound.
The teachers, among the lowest paid in America, had gone for a decade without an across the board pay increase. During the same time frame they watched as general funding for Oklahoma's public schools had been gnawed away at by an unending procession of GOP controlled legislatures eager to give tax breaks to every corporate fat cat with an oil lease, or wind farm.
Beginning in January, as state educators started to make ominous noises about taking action, the current gaggle of right wing wankers in both state houses, on a seemingly daily basis, rejected pay raise after pay raise and every school funding bill proposed. In March, Oklahoma's teachers, partly inspired by a successful walk out in West Virginia, finally issued an ultimatum. Get something done by April 2nd, or we will take action.
As the deadline approached many in the legislature foamed at the mouth and whirled like dervishes. The teacher's demands were, by Oklahoma standards, breathtaking. They wanted a $10 grand raise spread out over two, or three years. They also wanted more money for school support staffs and other state employees. Then came the kicker--they wanted every bit of that cash stolen from public education over the past ten years put back in the budget.
They were then and now up against a bunch of tea party/alt right extremists who consider everyone to the left of Sean, by God, Hannity a communist son of a bitch.
Well, no one said it would be easy and we could digress at this point into a discussion of how these vile clods actually hate public education and want Oklahoma to be nearly dead last when it comes to teacher's pay and per student expenditure, but that debate is for another day.
Luckily, sometimes fear motivates even the most recalcitrant ideologues. Within a few days of being confronted by the faculties of nearly every public school in the state the legislature passed a bill which gave teachers a $6,100 raise right away. Okay, but since the pay increase was tied to a funding measure which would return a mere 10% of the previously slashed funds to state schools and its students, the act translated into a sneering bribe slipped to a door man at a cheap jack night club.
The teachers certainly considered it as such and the walk out was on for last Monday. Later in the week republican Governor, Mary Fallin would tell the local media she had expected the teachers to show up, thank her and the legislature for the, "historic raise," then go back to their jobs. It is unclear what drugs the Governor was on when she came to that conclusion.
On the 2nd of April it is estimated 30,000 rowdy educators stormed the capitol grounds and building. They were in no mood to grovel. Within 24 hours the support staffs of the schools, who had been ignored in the initial bill, were given a $1,200 raise.
Then, as the actor Mac Brown once said in a movie, came the weird part. On Thursday Fallin was quoted in the OKC daily paper she hoped, "reasonable heads would come together..." That would be a day after she told CBS News Oklahoma teachers were like spoiled teenagers who were complaining their new car wasn't fancy enough. It would also be immediately after GOP representative Kevin McDugle went on social media to claim the teacher's ingratitude and conduct was so outrageous and felonious it threatened the future behavior of the state's youth. He added he'd never vote for another bill funding education. A second legislator told the protesters if they didn't like what had been done for them they should find another career because, "There are plenty of new college graduates out there willing to take your jobs."
Ah yes, quite reasonable.
McDugle later issued an apology of sorts. He said his original post was made in, "the heat of the moment." He went on to blame, "outside groups from California and Chicago," for all of the criminal misbehavior he had witnessed. Then he began a rant which claimed numerous legislators and their aides had received death threats. A day after TV news sources noted three different law enforcement agencies said they hadn't received any reports of death threats, they suddenly got four. To this moment none of the threats have been verified and no one has identified any outside group trying to provoke violence, or vandalism.
Yes, it had come to that and more. Around the same time another legislator claimed many in the crowd were not actually teachers, but, "paid actors." A fourth said the teachers themselves and their protests were being controlled and subverted by, "outside socialist groups."
Yesterday, OKC's daily paper, The Oklahoman--a republican news letter which on the side publishes a sports page and obituaries--lectured the teachers for not protesting at their local school boards. The op-ed piece claimed the real problem with public education lay with them, not the legislature. Then today, without mentioning, the unconfirmed rumors of death threats, vandalism, or accusations of paid actors and run amok socialists, the paper accused teachers of fomenting, "conspiracy theories." on social media in order to portray themselves as, "victims."
Yesterday, the legislature passed two bills which would add somewhere around $50 million to education funding. However, they also passed a third measure, no doubt hoping celebrating educators wouldn't notice. It repeals a hotel and motel tax hike which was part of the original pay increase package. The act, if not vetoed by Fallin, will cost public education just about--you guessed it--$50 million.
The teachers weren't buying into that crude shell game. The head of the Oklahoma Education Association issued a statement saying two things needed to happen for the walk out to end. One: Governor Fallin must veto the hotel/motel tax repeal. Two: Oklahoma has to get rid of its capital gains tax exemption, something the legislature has refused to even consider.
A poll taken Thursday shows 72% of Oklahomans support the walk out. Educators from across the state emboldened by those numbers left the capitol building yesterday chanting over and over again, "See you Monday."
Yes, much to the chagrin of the Governor and her tea party cronies, the rebellion is still on.
Give 'em Hell, Miss Brooks.
Viva la revolucion!
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4-7-18
The walkout is receiving good support and publicity up here in Brownbackland. That's nice to see.
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