Enid, OK–The sound of thousands of people, poetry, protest music and drum circles colored the air on April 2 as protesters converged on the Oklahoma Capitol Building. These were the sounds of protests getting underway for reform of Oklahoma’s education system amidst a budget crisis and the continued flight of teachers from the state.
The mass, statewide walkout of teachers is a continued effort after increased pressure on the state failed to result in enough meaningful change. The state focused on passing teacher raises, yet did little effort to address the other demands of the Oklahoma Education Association, the group responsible for organizing the mass strike. These demands were laid out nearly a month ago:
● $10,000 more per year for teachers; six thousand more for the fiscal year
2019 budget then two thousand dollar raises over the next two years.
● $5,000 raises for support professionals like secretaries, custodians and bus
drivers.
● $200 million to restore school funding
● $213 million more for state employee raises
● $255 million for health care funding.
(Source: News9)
As the month went on, legislators failed to pass meaningful legislation. A large pay package was approved less than a week before the strike, but without any without funding.Barely a day had passed after the the legislation was approved before legislators began taking off items from the bill. The result was a statewide teachers’ walkout, with roughly 200 districts closed and 30,000 teachers appearing at the capitol. Many more protesters and various organizations, including the Democratic Socialists of America’s Oklahoma branch, and the Oklahoma Democratic Party, showed up to voice their support.
The atmosphere was lively, yet determined. Booths and supporters handed out food, water, and signs to those without, keeping the protest going. Buses helped ferry people to the protest when parking was limited, and complete strangers greeted each other as friends. The legislators? Noticeably silent. Many failed to show to their jobs April 2, and only a few greeted the protesters inside the building. Yet despite these few pleasant greetings, nothing was done to meet the OEA’s demands, and in an interview later that evening, Gov. Mary Fallon stated that the state can only do what’s within the budget, and added that her attention was directed towards healthcare and the prison system, as the state gears up to build more prisons within the state.
Yet the state continues to find room for tax cuts benefitting oil and gas across the state, and oil production rises once more, providing additional revenue to the state. Some have suggested the legalization and taxation of marijuana sales within the state as a means of increasing revenue to support education, however even after a voter approved measure to legalize medical marijuana, the state has done nothing but block efforts, even pushing additional voting on OKSQ 788, the measure in question, to a minor election year, which typically sees more conservative voters.
The fight is not over, and on the date of writing this, (April 3) OEA and their supporters across Oklahoma again poured into the Capitol grounds for a second day of protests. Where will this go? Hope says the solidarity of the people will force the state to meet the people’s demands.
