He signed legislation creating the program under House Bill 4388, but there’s no money for it yet. The state is spending about $17 million on the program, which got underway this summer.Īnd in this year’s State of the State address, Stitt announced a plan to get “our best teachers” earning over $100,000. He approved legislation creating the Inspired to Teach program, which gives stipends to college students who agree to teach in Oklahoma for several years. However, Stitt approved several 2022 initiatives to address teacher recruitment and retention. A statewide effort has not come to fruition, but many school districts offer bonuses. Other states have continued to raise teacher pay.”Ĭandidate Stitt said he wanted the state to provide up to $5,000 in matching funds for signing bonuses for new and returning teachers. “We made great strides when the Legislature approved back-to-back teacher pay raises, but it is not a one-and-done process. “It’s a matter of staying competitive,” she said. The state Board of Education approved the proposal and it now moves to the Legislature. Hofmeister, in her agency’s latest budget request, proposed a $5,000 teacher pay increase, raising the state average to just over $59,000. But that essentially ranks the “competitiveness” of teacher pay in Oklahoma. He cites rankings from a Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency report, which adjusted teacher salaries for cost-of-living and tax burden, moving Oklahoma to 21st nationally. “That’s something we’re really proud of.” “Our numbers show we’re number one in the seven-state region, cost-of-living adjusted,” Stitt said. Colorado, Texas and New Mexico reported higher teacher compensation - meaning the state lost ground under Stitt. Oklahoma ranks fourth among surrounding states by that measure and 34th in the nation. That includes retirement and health insurance premiums, benefits valued at about $16,900 a year - or about one-third of a teacher’s total compensation. That put Oklahoma’s average compensation for a classroom teacher at $54,096 in 2021-22, the latest available data. Stitt approved another raise in his first year in office, allocating $59 million for an average increase of $1,220. In 2018, Oklahoma’s average teachers’ salary ranked third in the region following the $6,000 boost. Though National Education Association’s data shows Oklahoma is still short, Stitt claims that as a promise kept based on adjustments for cost-of-living and tax burden. One of Stitt’s main promises in education has been to make Oklahoma’s average teacher compensation the highest in the region. His Democratic opponent for governor, Joy Hofmeister, has had a major influence on education policy as superintendent of public instruction for the past eight years. He also visited the Oklahoma Watch newsroom for an interview on Oct. Oklahoma Watch interviewed Stitt by phone on Sept. Now, four years later, Oklahoma Watch is taking a look back at those promises and results. The teacher walkout that spring led to major changes: an average salary increase of $6,000 for Oklahoma teachers - the first raise in nearly a decade - as well as millions in new education funding.Īnd in its wake, Stitt, as a candidate for governor, promised to improve education and make Oklahoma “a top 10 state.” Thousands of Oklahoma teachers had descended on the state Capitol to strike, closing many schools for 10 days to draw attention to school funding needs. When Kevin Stitt hit the campaign trail in 2018, education was very much on the minds of voters.
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