AFT Statements on Progress in Oklahoma Legislature to Fund Public Schools

OKLAHOMA CITY—Statement from Ed Allen, president, Oklahoma City American Federation of Teachers and Mary Best, president of AFT-Oklahoma, on legislative progress to find new funding for public education:

"Educators are fighting for the Legislature to find new pots of money to fund our public schools. We need to ensure that teachers and students are seeing a commitment to funding for both learning and teaching conditions and salaries. The revenue gained by a proposal to tax Vegas-style gaming and Amazon third-party vendors is an important down payment on what will be needed. Teachers want to be back in classrooms, but we are being ever-vigilant because there are so many student needs."

Statement from Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers:
"Teachers have been storming state capitols throughout the nation, this week in Oklahoma, Arizona and Kentucky, to protest the defunding of public education and the eroding teaching and learning conditions of our students and stagnant educator salaries. Their voices finally are being heard, and legislators are realizing they cannot prioritize the wealthy and corporations at the expense of their state’s children and their state’s future. We are seeing some movement, which would be a good step. We are hoping the Legislature and the governor in Oklahoma are learning the lessons of West Virginia and elsewhere. Teachers will be ever-present advocates in the statehouse on behalf of their students."