My 2 Cents: Fund Promised Teacher Stipends For Crying Out Loud

Kelly Ogle, News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A teacher moonlighting as a pizza delivery guy?

If you didn't see our story last night I encourage you to watch it at News9.com.

A high school teacher went to the extra effort and expense to become national board certified knowing that the state would make it worth his while with a $5,000 annual stipend.

But his stipend, and that of some 3,000 other national board certified teachers here in Oklahoma has been cut.

He was counting on that money, that promise from the state.

I know times are tight, but for years the education department moaned about losing the best and the brightest to other states like Texas that are willing to pay more, and now they cut that incentive for our extra effort teachers?

Doesn't make sense.

Schools are getting less money from the legislature, I understand that, I also understand that means bigger class sizes, and that means we need better-trained teachers to handle them.

Fifteen million for these stipends isn't a budget buster. For crying out loud, dig it out of the rainy day savings account we just put millions extra in there.