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After Demands Are Rebuffed, Oklahoma Teachers Union Issues New Demand

As Oklahoma's teacher walkout enters its eighth day, the union leading it has a new demand to end it.

Oklahoma Education Association is now saying lawmakers just need to raise another $50 million in revenue for the state budget, and they'll send educators back to school.

Katherine Bishop, OEA Vice President, says it's up to lawmakers to find the money. She doesn't care whether it comes from a wind tax or a repeal of the capital gains exemption, she just wants to see the legislature raise another $50 million to shore up the state budget.

"That’s what we’re needing, is an additional $50 million. It needs to be recurring revenue. It can't be a one-time stipend, or take one from one to pay the other one, it needs to be recurring revenue."

Bishop says it doesn't necessarily have to go to education this year either. She says the more stable sources of recurring revenue the state has, the better education will fare in the long-run.

It's a new stance for the teachers union, who said late last week they would end the walkout if lawmakers voted to repeal some capital gains exemptions and if Governor Mary Fallin vetoed the repeal of the $5 dollar per night hotel/motel tax.

On Tuesday, it was made clear that neither the Governor nor Republican House leadership had any desire to meet those demands.

Republican Representative John Pfeiffer of Orlando said it's not likely the House will take up Senate Bill 1086, a bill repealing the capital gains tax exemption. He said that Republicans agreed to not hear the bill during negotiations for a teacher pay raise bill that was passed two weeks ago.

"We would agree to go gross production tax to 5 percent. In exchange we wouldn’t hear the capital gains tax. The speaker respects the will of the caucus, but as of yet, to my knowledge we don’t have any Republican members coming and asking us to hear the capital gains bill."

Pfeiffer indicated that he does not think the House will consider any additional measures to increase education funding this session.

Meanwhile, Gov. Fallin signed a bill repealing the $5 hotel/motel tax that was originally included in HB1010XX, a revenue package that provided teacher pay raises and some education funding. The tax would have generated nearly $50 million in revenue.

Fallin encouraged legislators to turn their attention to other issues, such as criminal justice and the financial needs of public safety and health and human services.

Dozens of schools remain closed across Oklahoma. Many school districts are now out of snow days and will have to extend the school year by adding days or adding time onto existing school days. But, school officials can't formulate a plan until they know for sure how much time they need to make up and they can't determine that until the walkout ends.

Educators arrive at the state Capitol on Tuesday, April 10, 2018, completing a seven day, 110 mile walk from Tulsa to Oklahoma City in support of increased education funding.
Emily Wendler / StateImpact Oklahoma /
Educators arrive at the state Capitol on Tuesday, April 10, 2018, completing a seven day, 110 mile walk from Tulsa to Oklahoma City in support of increased education funding.

Copyright 2018 KOSU

In graduate school at the University of Montana, Emily Wendler focused on Environmental Science and Natural Resource reporting with an emphasis on agriculture. About halfway through her Master’s program a professor introduced her to radio and she fell in love. She has since reported for KBGA, the University of Montana’s college radio station and Montana’s PBS Newsbrief. She was a finalist in a national in-depth radio reporting competition for an investigatory piece she produced on campus rape. She also produced in-depth reports on wind energy and local food for Montana Public Radio. She is very excited to be working in Oklahoma City, and you can hear her work on all things from education to agriculture right here on KOSU.
Ryan LaCroix joined KOSU’s staff in 2013. He hosts All Things Considered, Oklahoma Rock Show, Oklahoma Rock Show: Rewind, and Oklahoma Music Minute.
Jacob McCleland spent nine years as a reporter and host at public radio station KRCU in Cape Girardeau, Mo. His stories have appeared on NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered, Here & Now, Harvest Public Media and PRI’s The World. Jacob has reported on floods, disappearing languages, crop duster pilots, anvil shooters, Manuel Noriega, mule jumps and more.
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