Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The surprising truth about teacher pay in Oklahoma

Democrat state Sen. Kenneth Corn is pushing for a $9,000 pay hike for public-school teachers and paid health benefits for their families. The state's largest newspaper suggests that, considering the fiscal crunch at 23rd and Lincoln, now might be a good time for Sen. Corn to act like "the responsible senator we know he can be, not a pandering candidate."

Interestingly, former public high-school teacher Terry Stoops, now an education policy analyst at the John Locke Foundation, has just released his annual report on teacher compensation in the 50 states. When adjusted for cost of living, pension contribution, and experience, teacher compensation in Oklahoma ($55,792) is higher than the national average.

1 comment:

Karen Heath said...

I find it interesting that someone thinks they can compare a teachers salary to 55,000 dollars. The actual pay is closer to 30,000 and much lower than Kansas and Texas. The problem is that the good teachers leave the state. I'm wanting to leave Kansas and move to Oklahoma but I will have to take a $9,000 pay cut from my Kansas pay.