Red-state teacher rebellion hits Oklahoma, grows in Arizona

[TexasTowelie]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A teacher rebellion that started in the hills of West Virginia spread like a prairie fire to Oklahoma this week and now threatens to reach the desert in Arizona.

In the deep red state of Oklahoma, the Republican-led Legislature approved money for teacher raises and more school funding, even hiking taxes on the vaunted oil and gas industry to do it. Republican Governor Mary Fallin rushed to sign the measures into law Thursday.

Oklahoma teachers were inspired by West Virginia, another red state where a 9-day strike led to 5-percent teacher raises. Oklahoma teachers haven't had a raise in a decade of Republican control and they won raises of between 15 and 18 percent. Now, teachers in Arizona thronged their GOP-run Capitol this week, demanding a 20 percent teacher pay hike.

-snip-

In Oklahoma, the tax hikes on cigarettes, fuel and oil and gas production will be enough for raises averaging about $6,100 annually, as well as funding boosts for schools, support personnel and state workers.

Read more: https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/ap/state/red-state-teacher-rebellion-hits-oklahoma-grows-in-arizona/article_193386ae-d9fa-588d-b264-b5b7d16dc311.html

[beachbum bob]

1. Ariona will be a tough one for the teachers, but not impossible.

Would be a significant win in a "right to work" for LOW PAY state

[Runningdawg]

2. The battle is heated on social media in OK

Tulsa teachers plan to walk to the capitol in OKC as a protest. A commentator on a local news channel's FB page said "people are going to die". He was reported - hopefully more than once!

[BigmanPigman]

3. How would they die?

Are they students who need a decent grade and "will die since my parents won't let me have the keys to the car since I got a D+"? These adult commentators need to go back to school since their education is apparently not complete. I wonder how much they make, how many degrees they are required to have, how many hours they work a week and how much their health care and retirement are paid for by their employers? Also, how much responsibility due they have being in charge of 30 young people day in and day out? If teachers got paid what babysitters make per student they would be making $200,000+ a year instead of less than $50,000 and they would not have huge college loans, be sick ALL THE TIME, fearful of guns, etc.
https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/2/21/948224/-

[Runningdawg]

4. He was speaking of the teachers and their supporters

who will be walking alongside a busy interstate for the aprox. 120 miles from Tulsa to OKC to a rally at the state capitol. Umm...he didn't specify HOW they were going to die, but myself and others in the thread felt he insinuated that he would run them over.