Phone: 405-528-2465. At the end of the 2020 state budget year, Oklahoma school Of those funds appropriated, the State Board of Education shall designate Fifty-eight Million Eight Hundred Fifty-eight Thousand Five Hundred Three Dollars ($58,858,503.00) for increased compensation for certified personnel as defined by Section 26-103 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Employer Reporting: Direct Line: 405-522-3130 Email: helpdesk@trs.ok.gov Hopefully (the next meeting is about) numbers because I am not a policy guy. Panel passes Oklahoma teacher pay raise bill. The Quality Counts report also showed that only six states have a lower share of 18-to-24-year-olds enrolled in postsecondary education than the 48.7 percent enrolled in Oklahoma. If Pembertons bills pass, he said it wouldnt prohibit the legislature from implementing more raises in the future. would give teachers $6,000 over 9 years, divided into three $2,000 raises. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Pemberton said its up to the legislature to catch Oklahoma up. Minimums and averages include benefits such as retirement plans and health, dental, vision and life insurance. An Oklahoma lawmaker is pushing for a teacher pay raise to combat the states teacher shortage. As a result, the funding for increases will be distributed through the formula. There are several reasons why a teacher might choose to leave the classroom, but the two most generally cited are burnout and inequitable earnings. The Senate Appropriations Committee also passed Senate Bill 522, again by Pugh, which would provide a $500 stipend to mentor teachers, regardless of how many people they mentor. The budget proposal includes $11 million to annualize the teacher pay raises appropriated this year. Outside candidates. Oklahoma Support Nurias work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com. No. 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 Senate Bill 28 would give teachers $6,000 over 9 years, divided into three $2,000 raises. The starting annual salary for an Oklahoma teacher is $38,074, and the average salary is $54,762, according to theNational Education Association. I have worked for the Tulsa World since 1990. 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. All opponents were Republicans while those in favor consisted of the remaining Republicans and all Democrats. 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. When $50 million for technology improvements at state agencies. combined with more legislative efforts this year will start attracting new teachers and retaining current teachers. We are hurting for people., Director, Center for Independent Journalism. A $5,000 teacher pay raise proposal will advance to the state Legislature after passing a Thursday vote by the Oklahoma State Board of Education. Among public school teachers who stopped teaching after March 2020 but before they were scheduled to retire, almost half did so because of the pandemic. The raise is estimated to cost $310 million with the price of insurance and retirement benefits included. The measure, which the governor backed, would use excess lottery proceeds to pay for half of a teachers raise. He previously served as senior Capitol reporter for The Journal Record, media director for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, and chief editorial writer at The Oklahoman. The requests will continue to the Legislature, which has the final say on state funding of education. Hofmeister is the Democratic nominee for governor and the top challenger to Stitt, a Republican, in the Nov. 8 general election. Six takeaways from Gov. $4 million in appropriations and $1.5 million in reimbursements for the state to become Real ID compliant. In fact, the measures plainly state that the increases in salary are in addition to (i.e., separate and apart from) what may be reflected in the Minimum Salary Schedule. 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. Reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel covers K-12 and higher education throughout the state of Oklahoma. I have covered the Oklahoma Legislature since 1994. Arkansas Gov. At 88, Inhofe says he intends to still be involved in politics but admits to still suffering the long-term effects of COVID-19. Kevin Stitt's 2020 State of the State speech. "We believe that we have to find ways to find teachers who are doing a great job, No. Does the amount appropriated include district obligations? In order to meet these deadlines in a timely fashion, OSDE will calculate the amount of raise for each teacher based on the October 1 personnel reporting period and subsequently provide this information as required. Districts can decide if they want to give staff a one-time pay increase of $1,200 or a one-time increase in an amount based on performance or the need to retain staff. In fact, in many ways Oklahoma schools are flush with more cash than at any time in recent memory. Both SB 1048 and HB 2765 have an effective date of July 1, 2019. The new state superintendent will present his budget request to House and Senate lawmakers in the following weeks. Despite recent legislative efforts to bolster salaries, a 2020-2021 pay analysis found that Oklahoma now ranks in the bottom half of states in teacher compensation, fourth in the region, 45th nationally in per-pupil expenditures, and dead last in what it pays support professionals. Teacher shortages: Why educators are leaving the profession in droves. Budget deal includes teacher pay raise - The Oklahoman This is also consistent with statements made by the Governor and legislative leaders teachers are to receive a pay increase in the 2019-2020 school year. Board members voted unanimously and agreed that more needs to be done for teachers. The teacher-shortage figure of 600 cited by Pemberton exceeds the shortages reported prior to the 2018 tax increases and pay raises. Legislative Democrats indicated they intend to fight against putting away more money in state savings accounts. Most of Oklahoma Watchs content is available for republication by other news media in print and digital form. 26-103, to receive the salary increase, regardless of whether employed by an off-the-formula district, a charter school, or otherwise. 15. We are anticipating a large number of positions to be open in the next two or three years, and the colleges of education will tell you we are not seeing a big increase in the number of individuals or young people going into education, Pemberton said. At the graduate level, 13% of institutions had a significant drop in enrollment in 2021. Mike Mazzei, Stitts budget secretary, said the governors focus right now is to protect state finances so state employees can receive pay raises down the road. Kevin Stitt on Thursday approved changes to a $698 million economic development incentive package in an effort to lure a mega-manufacture, The Legislature is working on adjustments to the state's LEAD Act to lure a company reported to be Volkswagen to bring thousands of jobs w. By December 31, 2019, school districts shall report to the State Department of Education the amount of increase in compensation each teacher received as a result of these funds. Oklahoma "We had 3,338 emergency certifications last year," he said. Ateachersminimum starting salary would, for the first time, exceed $40,000 in the state. We already have a teacher shortage, now the pipeline is almost empty. Senate Bill 482, by Senate Education Committee Chairman Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, would increase the minimum teacher salary schedule. 26-103, to receive the salary increase, regardless of whether employed by a traditional public or public charter school. In a press conference before the start of the Legislative Session, he estimated the maternity leave measure to cost $25 million. That was the last survey taken by the organization prior to the first round of teacher pay increases. OKLAHOMA CITY The Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday passed a teacher pay raise bill and other measures designed to keep educators in the classroom. The declines were 80% in Oklahoma, 67% in Michigan, 62% in Pennsylvania, 61% in Delaware, 60% in Illinois, 55% in Idaho, 54% in Indiana and New Mexico, and 51% in Rhode Island. The proposal would move starting teacher pay to $40,000 annually with a $3,000 pay increase through the next four years, and incremental pay raises after that. House legal staff instructed Walters to present his predecessor's budget plan, which he promised to change, because the state Board of Education hadn't yet approved an amendment to it. The nearly $8.1 billion spending plan does not include an additional $163 million in one-time spending. Please reload the page and try again. The downward trend comes against a background in which Oklahomas public schools were already producing some of the worst academic outcomes in the nation even after the recent infusion of state funding through tax increases and federal COVID-19 bailout funding. The same expectation applies to districts that receive only the salary incentive aid and not foundation aid. Yes. Previous pay raisesfor all educatorshave proven to increase qualitycandidates tothe profession.". Oklahoma teachers earn an average of $54,000 a year, which ranks fourth among all bordering states. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. 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. Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently proposed boosting starting salaries for teachers in her state to $50,000. The state Minimum Salary Schedule remains the same as the one passed in the 2018 Legislative Session. Raises would range from $2,500 to $10,000 on top of the state's minimum salary schedule, Walters said. I think the market is telling us that were short of teachers, and the market is telling us the teaching profession overall is not an attractive profession to step into, he said during the committee hearing. Are principals and other administrators required to receive a pay raise? Educators in New Mexico, Texas and Colorado already earn more on average than teachers in Oklahoma. 1, but also incentivize them as they continue to grow," Walters said. Fast-track transportation projects to improve rural, two-lane highways and high-volume urban interchanges by taking advantage of federal loan programs. Have a story idea for Nuria? How will OSDE calculate underpaid teachers in FY 20? The teacher pay raise would cost the state about $110 million, but Pemberton said given the states, $2.8 billion in revenue savings collections, , its time to strike while the iron is hot.. New teachers in Texas start at $44,527. UPDATED: Teacher Pay Raise & Retirement FAQs | Oklahoma State Teacher Salaries by District - Oklahoma Watch After third grade, students without a strong grasp of reading are known to struggle to comprehend classwork. Pemberton said its up to the legislature to catch Oklahoma up. Kevin Stitts State of the State speech A chronic teacher shortage persists in Oklahoma. The $3.51 billion request would increase state education funding by about $330 million over current levels. This session, education support professionals must be a bigger part of our conversations about how to Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, filed a bill for the upcoming legislative session to give Oklahoma public school teachers and support staff a raise starting in the 2023-2024 school year. $10 million for the Digital Transformation Fund. SB 1048 explicitly provides that $58,858,503 of what is appropriated to the financial support of public schools from the General Revenue Fund in the General Appropriations bill (HB 2765) shall be used for a salary increase, in addition to and not a replacement for the step increase provided in the state minimum salary schedule. The state's largest teachers union, the Oklahoma Education Association, said educator salaries should be competitive with the rest of the region. But now educators are poised to leave the workforce, having reached their maximum retirement benefit. The teacher pay boost would be Oklahomas first in three years, if lawmakers approve it. The state board requested a total budget of $3.57 billion for Fiscal Year 2024. The Oklahoma State Board of Education, with three new voting members sworn in, approved Walters' budget request on Thursday for the 2024 fiscal year. Senate Bill 28 would give teachers $6,000 over 9 years, divided into three $2,000 raises. More:State Superintendent Ryan Walters wants teacher pay raises tied to student performance. she said. 26-103, are to receive a salary increase in the 2019-2020 school year. Are charter schools required to give a pay raise? 7. You have permission to edit this article. Oklahoma weighs competing pay raise plans for teachers 13. Pemberton said its up to the legislature to catch Oklahoma up. Matt Pinnells efforts to create a cohesive brand for the state. "If we don't get this part right it gets progressively more difficult when students can't read at the later levels," Walters said. Flat wages, heavy workloads, and the politicization of schools have been cited as some of the biggest influences behind these decreases. * Use the following credit line at the end of the story, with oklahomawatch.org hyperlinked online: Oklahoma Watch, atoklahomawatch.org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state., by Oklahoma Watch, Oklahoma Watch August 5, 2019, This article first appeared on Oklahoma Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons license..