Summary:
Oklahoma’s largest teachers union ended their walkout on Thursday after winning a pay raise of about $6,000 per year for teachers and $1,250 for school support staff. The raise comes in the midst of a wave of teacher protests, as West Virginia teachers won a raise of 2,000 earlier this year and Arizona teachers are advocating for increased funding for education.
Despite the win, many of the teachers’ demands will not be met because of Oklahoma tax laws. Teachers demanded the repeal of tax exemption laws for wealthy individuals, however Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin instituted taxes on oil and gas production. The tax raise is not nearly enough to cover the costs of new textbooks and furniture that teachers need. Oklahoma is a notably red state that has instituted many tax cuts and public service cuts in the last 10 years, and the outcome of the walkout has persuaded many teachers and parents to reconsider their political stances on taxes going into the 2018 midterms.
Analysis:
The debate over taxes and school funding relates directly to our study of taxes this semester in economics. The teachers demanding higher pay wanted taxes based on the ability to pay principle, in that they wanted to ban a tax that exempted wealthy individuals. Instead, they got an excise tax with negative incentives, as the tax passed by the Oklahoma Governor included taxes on oil, gas production, and gambling.
I think that the most efficient way to raise funding for schools would be through the repeal of tax exemption laws and using more money from income taxes. Oklahoma receives $1 billion annually in personal income tax, and more of this money should be put towards education given that many taxpayers and their children benefit from public education.
Oklahoma teachers have textbooks that are old and inaccurate, teach in classrooms with furniture that is falling apart, and often have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. Raising their salaries is not controversial; it is crucial to the future of Oklahoma students. Eliminating exemption taxes for the wealthy and using more money from income tax would be fair and effective.
Questions:
- What do you think is a viable solution to raise more money for Oklahoma education?
- Do you think they should stop the walkout or continue pressing the government to change existing laws?
- How do you think the issue of education funding will be addressed going into the 2018 midterms?
4 comments:
I think this was the viable solution to raise the salaries of teachers. Teachers are hard-working people who do not deserve enough credit, so I think they should keep on pressuring the government. I think in the midterms, the issue will actually be addressed in be put on the table.
I think that walking out in form of protest is a great way to exercise one's First Amendment right. It is peaceful, but gets effectively the point across and propels the desired results into action. I feel like the pay of educators ought to be more prioritized because they are really the foundation for the next generation of brilliant minds. As for the 2018 midterms, I cannot say how it will be addressed, but I personally am for higher teacher salaries. They deserve it.
This was a successful protest, but the long term impact will be limited. Unless Oklahoma changes their values and view of education, under funding will always be a problem. A $6,000 raise might satisfy the teachers for the time being, but these strikes will be a common occurrence knowing the rate of inflation. Aside from the low teacher salaries, the schools are also lacking in supplies, something that teachers won't be able to protest for since they just ended one. Oklahoma could match the per pupil spending of the North-East; the problem is that education isn't one of their priorities in the same way that it is for New York.
I think one of the better things about this protest is that it illustrates the actual ability of citizens to realistically make a difference, even against government officials or politicians that are corrupted. Hopefully, this is more of an optimistic result for other people to follow, as the successes of this protest are pretty clear. However, I think there still large changes that need to be made regarding the perspective of teachers, and how they are treated so poorly in this country.
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