Hofmeister, Fallin comment on Senate passage of tax hike to fund teacher pay raise

Hofmeister commends state Senate passage of teacher pay raise 

OKLAHOMA CITY (March 28, 2018) – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister made the following remarks on the Oklahoma State Senate’s passage of legislation paving the way for a teacher pay raise, the first in more than 10 years.

“Thanks to members of the state Senate, our teachers are much closer to a desperately needed and long-overdue pay raise, one that will finally make us regionally competitive and help turn around a crippling teacher shortage. I am grateful for the strong bipartisan support on behalf of Oklahoma’s schoolkids.

“This pay raise propels Oklahoma to second in the region for average teacher pay. Nationally, we will move from the basement to better than 19 other states. While this legislation is far from all that needs to be done to reverse years of education funding cuts, it is a tremendous step forward. There is no one more important than the teacher in classroom instruction, and House Bill 1010-XX will be critical in retaining and recruiting teachers. This vote is a bright light for public education in Oklahoma.”

Governor Mary Fallin Statement on Oklahoma Senate Passing Revenue Package to Fund Teacher Pay Raises

OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin tonight issued the following statement after the state Senate passed a revenue package to fund a $6,100, or 16 percent, pay raise on average for Oklahoma teachers, the largest teacher pay raise in the history of the state:

“This is an historic evening for the state of Oklahoma. I applaud the bipartisanship shown in the Senate tonight and in the House of Representatives earlier this week by passing House Bill 1010XX. Those voting yes answered the call from the public by voting teachers a pay raise and putting the state on a solid foundation for the future. I will follow through on their courage and action by signing House Bill 1010XX. I appreciate our lawmakers putting people over politics by approving this package of revenue measures to fund teacher pay raises as well as provide additional money for the classroom. This budget package also helps set us on a path to long-term sustainability and stability by making more recurring revenue available and helps us to stop balancing our budget with one-time funds.”