The governor also proposes doubling the capacity of the states Rainy Day Fund so it can hold up to $2 billion. A 2% adjustment could be doable, he said. After the October 1 personnel reporting period, OSDE will publish a report including the difference in pay for each teacher and an average pay raise amount for each district. A new state law offers matching funds to cover half of a pay raise for teachers who earn certain credentials and mentor their colleagues, but it's unclear whether the criteria to earn an incentive raise would meet the same qualifications for matching funds from the 2022 law. That figure broke down just about evenly at the elementary and secondary education levels. This session, education support professionals must be a bigger part of our conversations about how to The aforementioned legislation makes clear that certified personnel, as defined in 70 O.S. The state Board of Education has approved 3,593emergency teaching certifications this year, including a record number issued in a single month this summer, indicating traditionally qualified teacher candidates are still hard to come by. It expressly states: SECTION 1. At the graduate level, 13% of institutions had a significant drop in enrollment in 2021. 4. Who is required to receive a salary increase? Can this be paid as a stipend/bonus? Teachers with 15 years of experience and more would receive a $6,000 raise. Giving Oklahomas teachers a pay raise has been proclaimed as one of the highest priorities of legislators and Governor Mary Fallin this session. 16. Senate Bill 267 passed the Oklahoma Senate on a 36-11 vote. Oklahoma teachers earn an average of $54,000 a year, which ranks fourth among all bordering states. 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. You can cancel at any time. "The metrics used to determine merit-based pay are controversial and inequitable," OEA President Katherine Bishop said in a statement. The governor hopes to spark a discussion with legislators about how to spend those funds. By: David Blatt. 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. "Our students deserve educators who are compensated and respected as the professionals they are. Senate Bill 482, by Senate Education Committee Chairman Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, would increase the minimum teacher salary schedule. While HB 1010xx gave support professionals a $1,250 pay raise, it was well short of the $5,000 they asked for. Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently proposed boosting starting salaries for teachers in her state to $50,000. This document is intended to assist LEAs in implementing the provisions of House Bill 2765 and Senate Bill 1048, specifically as they relate to salary increases for certified personnel during the 2019-2020 school year. How much of a salary increase should certified personnel receive? Six takeaways from Gov. Oklahoma legislator files bills for teacher, support staff pay 10. Stitts education secretary, Republican Ryan Walters, and the 2020 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year, Democrat Jena Nelson, are running to succeed Hofmeister as the states top education official. She is term limited after eight years in office. As a reporter for The Journal Record, Carter received 12 Carl Rogan Awards in four yearsincluding awards for investigative reporting, general news reporting, feature writing, spot news reporting, business reporting, and sports reporting. StateImpact Oklahoma reports on education, health, environment, and the intersection of government and everyday Oklahomans. Also not included, is any of the money the state took in through various opioid settlements. She can be reached at nmartinez-keel@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @NuriaMKeel. Oklahoma He did not say what student performance measures would be used as evaluating tools, nor how school districts would be expected to implement the program. No, while principals and other administrators could receive a raise under these provisions, they are not required to receive a raise. An Oklahoma lawmaker is pushing for a teacher pay raise to combat the states teacher shortage. "We're running about the same number this year. A $150 million performance-based teacher pay raise plan from new state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters will advance to the Oklahoma Legislature, and so will a $100 million proposal to invest in reading instruction. Tucked within that decline were even deeper reductions in degrees conferred in specialty subjects such as science, mathematics, and foreign languages. The state has too many needs that have been unmet, Senate Minority Leader Kay Floyd said. Averages in the searchable table below are based on 2017-18 data and minimum salaries are for 2018-19. Pugh said the cost of the measure would be $250 million. More:Oklahoman finalist for National Teacher of the Year says cooperation is key to future. The Senate Education Committee passed the bill from chairperson Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, without objection. 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 request also includes a $66 million increase to the education funding formula, the chief source of public school funds. It's a reporting project and collaboration of KGOU, KOSU, KWGS and KCCU, with broadcasts heard on NPR Member stations. $3 million for the governors Quick Action Closing Fund, an economic development fund used to lure businesses and jobs to Oklahoma. Please reload the page and try again. "How bad do things have to get for us to use the money that weve got in the savings account for the needs of the people of Oklahoma?" Between the 1999-2000 and the 2017-2018 school years, the number of full- and part-time public school teachers rose 18% to 3.5 million teachers, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. She can be reached at nmartinez-keel@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @NuriaMKeel. Some House lawmakers were angry when Walters presented Hofmeister's budget request, not his own, in a hearing at the Capitol on Tuesday. As a result, the amount appropriated provides enough funding to give a raise of $1,220 rather than $1,200 over twelve months. The vast majority of those funds would pass through the agency to public schools. Beth reports on education topics for StateImpact Oklahoma. But by the 2019-2020 school year, the number of teachers fell to 3.2 million and by 2020-2021 to just over 3 million. More:State Superintendent Ryan Walters wants teacher pay raises tied to student performance. Stitt budget does not include teacher, state employee pay The cost for a $1,200 pay raise for twelve months is $70,630,204. Oklahoma lawmakers last approved teacher pay raises in 2018 and 2019, with an average increase of $6,100 and $1,220 respectively. 17. We are seeing moms step out of the work force altogether, Pugh said. Oklahoma education leaders to present $5,000 teacher pay raise He toldThe Center Squarehe hoped the pay raises would alleviate the state's teacher shortage. Changes in enrollment is one causative behind this drop. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on the city and many other important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession. Stitt expresses 'strong disagreement' with Oklahoma AG over Catholic charter school, Former NFL star Chad Johnson says he saved money by living inside Cincinnati Bengals stadium for 2 years, Oklahoma's new Teacher of the Year celebrates by gifting her tuition waiver to aspiring nurse, Meet the 2023 Ms. Inside/Ms. You have permission to edit this article. 9. The compromise at the end of session was as follows: districts would receive funding for pay raises, and be expected, but not required, to give an average $1,220 raise, to be annualized in future years. 6. Walters called the $100 million proposal the "most comprehensive reading plan in the country," though the specifics of each initiative within it are still hazy. Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, a retired educator, introduced a bill in December that would give teachers a $2,000 annual raise for the 2023-2024, 2026-2027 and 2029-2030 school years. Please subscribe to keep reading. There is hereby appropriated to the State Board of Education from any monies not otherwise appropriated from the General Revenue Fund of the State Treasury for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, the sum of One Billion Four Hundred Seventy-eight Million One Hundred Five Thousand Seven Hundred Dollars ($1,478,105,700.00) or so much thereof as may be necessary for the financial support of public schools. February 18, 2016 // Updated: May 2, 2019. For support staff and paraprofessionals, its a little more complicated: Senate Bill 25 would give districts $1,200 per support staff member. Gov. This probably isnt the year for an additional pay raise on top of what happened last year, Mazzei said. The Edmond senator has suggested the state spend $241 million on his pay-raise plan and another $300 million on further education reforms. It also found that more than three-quarters had increased their teaching and nonteaching staff to levels exceeding those before the pandemic. Some state lawmakers have suggested pay raises for all teachers. Because teacher retirement benefits are tied to the last three years of income, one impact of the teacher pay raises was to temporarily slow the pace of retirements while educators racked up credit for newly increased salaries. Particularly hard-hit were Midwestern and Rust Belt states, as well as seeming outliers such as Alaska and Florida, whose Department of Education outlined critical shortages in no fewer than eight subject areas going into the 2019-2020 school year. "We believe that we have to find ways to find teachers who are doing a great job, No. 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. * An interlocal cooperative, or ILC, is an educational service organization than handles duties for a group of school districts or counties. And I think education, our young people and our teachers need to be a priority.. Oklahoma legislator files bills for teacher, support staff pay Stitts budget proposes funding $25.3 million in gubernatorial priorities. The budget proposal includes $11 million to annualize the teacher pay raises appropriated this year. The National Education Association published figures in April 2022 showing the average teacher salary to be $66,397 for the 2021-2022 school year. Senate Bill 28 would give teachers $6,000 over 9 years, divided into three $2,000 raises. However, it is not known exactly what jobs were lost and how many of those were teachers. But even then, Oklahomas again fallen behind neighboring states. We can ascertain from the final result of the appropriation that the Legislature intended for districts to have flexibility on how raises are distributed to staff. He has two decades of experience in journalism and communications. I think there are significant steps the state needs to intentionally and very publicly take to show teachers that were serious about the work that theyre doing, that we need them and want them in the classroom, Pugh said. Oklahoma teachers The Governor and Legislature stated that teachers in districts not receiving state appropriations through the funding formula were not included in the cost estimate calculations. For support staff and paraprofessionals, its a little more complicated: Senate Bill 25 would give districts $1,200 per support staff member. The measure would move the starting teacher pay to $39,601 from $36,601. When considering pay raise amounts, districts are encouraged to ensure that the average across all certified staff members equals a $1,220 increase. The new superintendent nixed Hofmeister's proposed $5,000 across-the-board teacher pay raise, which would have cost nearly $310 million. Search by district or county. The state last increased minimum teacher pay in 2019 with a The $3.51 billion request would increase state education funding by about $330 million over current levels. Outside candidates. You have permission to edit this article. State Superintendent Ryan Walters wants teacher pay raises tied to student performance, Oklahoman finalist for National Teacher of the Year says cooperation is key to future, said Oklahoma should offer incentive-based raises, suggested the state spend $241 million on his pay-raise plan, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 7. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 of Enrolled House Bill 2765 of the 1st Session of the 57th Oklahoma Legislature, Fifty-eight Million Eight Hundred Fifty-eight Thousand Five Hundred Three Dollars ($58,858,503.00) shall be used for the purpose of providing an increase in compensation for certified personnel as defined by Section 26-103 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Support Nurias work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com. Teachers in the state earn an average of $54,096 a year. $4.9 million for the Oklahoma State University Medical Authority for physician recruitment and equipment needs. No. 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. Are there different reporting deadlines for this pay raise outside of already established personnel reports? Reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel covers K-12 and higher education throughout the state of Oklahoma. Furthermore, wages that are not keeping up with inflationcombined with increased levels of stress and anxietyare forcing some teachers from the profession. For support staff and paraprofessionals, its a little more complicated: would give districts $1,200 per support staff member. Republican Gov. StateImpact Oklahoma reports on energy and the environment, education, health, criminaljustice, and the intersection of government and everyday Oklahomans. That bill is also assigned to the Senate Education Committee. Click or tap on a column hearing to re-order the table. Teachers with a 15-year career or longer could see raises of $6,000. Stitt approves revised incentive package to lure major company, Incentive package tweaks are on fast track as multibillion-dollar company eyes Pryor site, Global race is on to improve EV range in the cold, Moscow reportedly threatened new parents in Ukraine: Register your newborns as Russian or else, The impact of climate change will be felt worse in these three U.S. cities, Scientists reveal hidden corridor in Great Pyramid of Giza. Oklahoma Democrats respond to Stitt's State of the State address The state's largest teachers union, the Oklahoma Education Association, said educator salaries should be competitive with the rest of the region. There are several reasons why a teacher might choose to leave the classroom, but the two most generally cited are burnout and inequitable earnings. New Mexico is expected to surge to No. I have covered the Oklahoma Legislature since 1994. The nearly $8.1 billion spending plan does not include an additional $163 million in one-time spending. The drop in education employment resulting from the pandemic was the largest ever. The Oklahoma State Department of Education will include a $5,000 teacher pay raise in its annual budget request during the state board of education's upcoming The cost to the state would be $1.6 million, Pugh said. The minimum for a first-year teacher with a bachelors degree is now $36,601, a $5,001 increase over the previous minimum salary, which was set at $31,600 in 2008. The requests will continue to the Legislature, which has the final say on state funding of education. Kevin Stitt's 2020 State of the State speech. In SB 1048, the OSDE is required to make a report of pay raises given in 2019-2020. , Education, Tax hikes, pay raises, fail to stem Oklahoma teacher shortage. $10 million for the Digital Transformation Fund. But now educators are poised to leave the workforce, having reached their maximum retirement benefit. There was a problem saving your notification. School districts seesawed between in-person, remote, and hybrid learning, forcing educators to adapt quickly to an environment often not conducive to learning, nor allowing them to provide the best educational model for students of all needs. "Our students deserve educators who arecompensated and respected as the professionals they are. The budget proposal includes $11 million to annualize the teacher pay raises appropriated this year. (Emphasis added). Kevin Stitt and the states top education official, Ryan Walters, said Oklahoma should offer incentive-based raises instead of an across-the-board increase for all teachers. Bordering states of Texas, Colorado and New Mexico pay more on average than Oklahoma, while Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas pay less, the state agency reported. The number of students enrolling in teacher preparation programs fell by 80% at Oklahomas colleges and universities, showing a dramatic decline in interest to enter the teaching profession, according to a 2020 report from the Center for Education Progress. The proposed budget appropriates If Pembertons bills pass, he said it wouldnt prohibit the legislature from implementing more raises in the future. The teacher pay boost would be Oklahomas first in three years, if lawmakers approve it. I know that the Legislature wants to see high outcomes for students, and certainly the Legislature understands that we have to make a priority with kids and their education, Hofmeister said after Thursdaysboard meeting. Oklahoma teachers received a raise in pay in 2018, which is reflected in the table below. 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A survey by the RAND Corporation discovered that 90% of school districts had changed operations in one or more schools during the 20212022 school year because of teacher shortages. As such, the expectation for charter schools with certified personnel remains the same as for all districts. "We have to keep these teachers.". With the appropriation of $58,858,503 and an additional $74,790,265 in funds for operations through the funding formula, the OSDE believes districts will have sufficient funds to follow through with the intent of the Governor and Legislature. New legislation enacted this year offers matching funds to raise the salaries of certain teachers who earn specific credentials and mentor other educators. Giving Oklahomas teachers a pay raise has been proclaimed as one of the highest priorities of legislators and She also questioned what sort of economic downturn it would take to justify tapping state reserves. Should the Legislature agree to the increase, Oklahomas average teacher pay would rise to $59,000. In 2017, a survey conducted by the Oklahoma State School Boards Association showed there were 536 teaching vacancies that year. Kevin Stit. She has won awards from both the Georgia Press Association and the Georgia Association of Broadcasters. Senate Bill 482, if passed, would prompt the state's first wage increase in four years for Oklahoma teachers. 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. 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. Hopefully (the next meeting is about) numbers because I am not a policy guy. Workers at colleges and universities had the next highest level (35%). Lawmakers are open to the idea of merit pay, Pugh said, but weve got to raise the floor of educator salaries. Gov. 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 But even then, Oklahomas again fallen behind neighboring states. I want to see the numbers, said Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, chairperson of the House budget committee on education. Oklahoma teachers and state employees will not receive pay raises next year under a budget proposal from Gov. New Kansas teachers make slightly more than their Oklahoma counterparts at $39,100. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Support Nurias work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com. The state last increased teacher wages by $6,100 in 2018 and by $1,200 in 2019. 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. No. Panel passes Oklahoma teacher pay raise bill. Some or all of those funds could be combined with other funding sources to provide state retirees a cost-of-living adjustment a top priority for state legislators, Mazzei said. Can a district include retirement payments for employees as part of the raise calculation? But even then. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. 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. A districts salary averages are affected by both its salary policies and the experience level of its teachers. No later than February 1, 2020, the State Department of Education shall make this data available on its website for public viewing and shall submit a report to the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The new state superintendent will present his budget request to House and Senate lawmakers in the following weeks. From his first year in office when he worked with the Legislature to deliver a $1,200payraise, to this years proposal topaythose in the classroom six figure salaries, GovernorStitthas been a tireless advocate for getting Oklahomateachers to be the highest paid in the region and looks forward to continuing that effort with the next state superintendent, Kate Vesper wrote in a statement to The Oklahoman. | MORE | Hofmeister says Oklahoma teachers should get $5,000 pay raise to stay competitive. Walters' budget plan differs from the version his predecessor, Joy Hofmeister, put together. Donateonline. With teacher shortages affecting schools nationwide, educators share how pay, parents, politics and the pandemic have led some to leave the profession. StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership of Oklahomas public radio stations which relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond. The states share of Medicaid expansion, which would be between $100 million and $150 million does not need to be appropriated next year, Mazzei said. Stitts budget also proposes squirreling away an additional $100 million into state reserve accounts. Tax hikes, pay raises, fail to stem Oklahoma teacher shortage