KELLYVILLE, Okla.—About 100 Oklahoma teachers began the second leg of their 110-mile march from
Tulsa to the state capitol Apr. 5, leaving Kellyville High School to walk the 15 miles to Bristow High School. Organizer Heather Cody, a third-grade teacher in Tulsa, said the support they were getting was overwhelming, from an anonymous donor from Georgia who sent them 20 pizzas to a company providing port-a-potties along the route. “People standing outside their driveways with candy, kids that are out of school waving signs for us,” she told NBC News. The Oklahoma Education Association and educators want the state legislature to replace school funding lost after the repeal of the hotel/motel tax, such as by ending capital-gains tax “giveaways” and letting casinos run roulette wheels and dice games. Gov. Mary Fallin signed a bill last week to give teachers raises averaging 15-18%, but teachers are continuing their walkout, saying they need smaller classes and textbooks less than 20 years old. Fallin also irked them when she told CBS News Apr. 3 that those demands were “like a teenage kid who wants a better car.” The march is scheduled to arrive at the capitol on Oklahoma City Apr. 10. Read more
