Group Won't Seek 2nd Veto Referendum Challenging Teacher Pay Taxes

An anti-tax group said it will not seek a second veto referendum on the new taxes passed to fund teacher pay raises.

Oklahoma Taxpayers Unite! filed a petition in early May, wanting to give voters the opportunity to repeal the tax increases contained in HB 1010XX. The Oklahoma Supreme Court decided their initiative petition was invalid, because the wording did not accurately describe the taxes that would be repealed.

SEE: Oklahoma Supreme Court Voids Challenge To Teacher Pay Tax

The group said Monday it will focus on upcoming elections instead of attempting a second veto referendum on new taxes, which took effect Sunday.

The group claims the “taxes were raised without any fiscally responsible requests for audits and ultimate reforms.” The group also cited mismanagement of state funds.

The court said the group had until July 18 to circulate a new petition, but Oklahoma Taxpayers Unite! said the deadline didn’t give them enough time.

"We’ll continue to be a voice for the taxpayers. We believe very strongly in SQ 640 and that taxpayers should have the right to vote on new taxes. It was never about the teacher pay raises – it was about the tax increase," said Ronda Vuillemont-Smith of OTU!

After the groups announcement, OEA President Alicia Priest released the following statement:

Oklahoma must recruit and retain highly qualified educators, shrink our overcrowded classes, and bring back cut courses and extracurriculars.  To make that happen, we need competitive wages and fully funded schools.  Oklahomans stood behind teachers during the walkout, voted for teachers at the polls last week and denounced the Oklahoma Taxpayers Unite petition from the beginning. We are grateful this issue is behind us and the new funding is secure.  Now it’s time to turn to runoff elections in August and the general election in November. Oklahoma needs lawmakers who understand that what was achieved in April is only the beginning. 

Shawn Hime with the Oklahoma State School Board also released a statement:

For months, uncertainty has cast a shadow over the bold, bipartisan legislative action that led to the state's largest-ever teacher pay raise and a significant increase in support for public education. Finally, Oklahoma's teachers can be assured they will receive the pay raise they have so long deserved. 

The teacher shortage is still growing, and the state is on pace to exceed last year's record number of emergency teaching certificates issued. The pay raise isn't a silver bullet, but it is key to stemming the hemorrhage of teachers out of the state and to other professions and to recruiting well-prepared educators to our classrooms. 

I remain extremely grateful to the legislators who understood the value of this critical investment and to our educators who have remained committed to Oklahoma's children. OSSBA and its members are eager to work with the next legislature and public education advocates to ensure this new investment is a building block for additional future education investment. Our class sizes are still too large, schools have too many unfilled teaching vacancies and too many academic and extracurricular programs have fallen to the wayside because of anemic financial support. 

We have more work to do, but increasing teacher pay to a regionally competitive level is a tremendous start.