Your 2 Cents: Oklahoma Teacher Salaries

<p>My oldest daughter graduates in May planning to become a public school teacher, but I was heartbroken when she told me she, like most of her classmates, is considering a move to Texas because of the much better pay.&nbsp;</p>

Wednesday, November 30th 2016, 10:41 pm

By: News 9


My oldest daughter graduates in May planning to become a public school teacher, but I was heartbroken when she told me she, like most of her classmates, is considering a move to Texas because of the much better pay.

Here's what you had to say about the teacher pay crisis:

John in Tecumseh first, "A survey of the past graduating class at Central State showed that not one graduating education major was planning on staying in Oklahoma, not one!"

Darrin says, "Teacher pay raises are needed no doubt. But don’t compare OK to the Dallas Fort Worth area where the cost of living, mostly house, is EXTREMELY higher."

Not really true, I ran it through a cost of living calculator. A first-year teacher making 34,000 in Edmond would only need to make slightly more than 36,000 to live the same way in Arlington Texas. Arlington's starting teacher's salary is $51,500. 

Debi in Yukon, "I think the lottery commission should be audited because we voted for the lottery to help the teachers."

Governor Brad Henry, who pushed the lottery through, predicted it would generate up to $350 million dollars a year for education.  In fact, it's barely generating 10 percent of that projection for k-12. 

Finally, Pat in Stillwater, "At this point TX isn't taking them away, we're giving them away. Heck, we're practically hiring the moving vans with what we're paying."

I'm Kelly Ogle and that's Your 2 Cents.  

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