OKLAHOMA CITY — As Republican leaders of the Oklahoma Legislature and Gov. Kevin Stitt continue to struggle to reach an agreement of education and tax policy, legislative Democrats are calling on the GOP to pass a clean pay raise bill without ties to private school vouchers.
“Teachers deserve a clean pay raise without ties to private school vouchers. Today’s passage of SB 561 says we as a legislature value private schools first,” said House Democratic Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Trish Ranson (D-Stillwater). “There is no teacher pay raise without private school vouchers.”
House Minority Leader, Rep. Cindy Munson (D-Oklahoma City), said the GOP education plan moves hundreds of millions of dollars in funding away from public schools to private schools in exchange for a very modest teacher pay raise.
In a media statement issued last week, Munson said House Democrats continue to support the Oklahoma Kids First plan which calls for $800 million to be spent on smaller class sizes, clean teacher pay raises and wrap-around supports for students including mental health counselors and safer classrooms.
“First, they meddle in the personal and private health care decisions of Oklahomans, and now they want to meddle in the personal and private practices of Oklahomans’ religious beliefs using taxpayer dollars,” Munson said. “Which religions are going to receive state funding? Which are not? What happens when lawmakers don’t agree with your religion? These are slippery slopes of judgment and control that we are beginning to climb.”
Munson pointed to the measure which recently passed the Oklahoma Senate that would increase the pay of state teachers who have five years or less experience by $4,000. Teachers with six to ten years’ experience would see an increase of $5,000. For teachers with more than two decades’ worth of experience the increase would jump to $8,000.
The bill also would increase the pay of certified and support staff in public school and CareerTech centers, with a one-time $3,000 stipend. The plan would add $150 million to the education funding formula and eliminate a $2 million cap on how much each school district could receive. Some lawmakers had complained that the cap benefited rural schools over the larger urban districts.
The measure also includes tax incentives for parents who send their children to private schools or educate them at home. Under the bill, families who earn under $75,000 would quality for a $7,500 tax credit for each child attending a private school.
That credit decreases as family income increases. For families with an income between $150,000 and $225,000, the credit drops to $6,6000 and for those making over $250,000 the credit drops to $5,000. Families who homeschool their children would receive a $1,000 tax credit per student.
House Minority Floor Leader Andy Fugate (D-Del City) said the measure was an attack on the First Amendment. “Forcing Oklahomans to fund religious activities they don’t want to practice or support is the very definition of religious tyranny,” he said.
State lawmakers have until Friday, May 26 to finish their work.