Teachers Walk From Tulsa To OKC Resumes

A group of Tulsa teachers and parents continued their 110-mile walk to the Capitol Thursday, after stopping Wednesday evening at Kellyville High School.

On Day 2, they continued their walk to Oklahoma City. This leg took them from Kellyville to Bristow, a trip they expected to take about five hours.

“We were walking down the road on Route 66 and people would come out of their homes and businesses offering us water, bananas, words of kindness and support, and that’s what’s pushing us through,” said Cindy Gaete.

Aaron Baker, a history teacher from Mid-Del near Midwest City, said he was looking for ways to draw lawmakers' attention to what many teachers call a funding crisis, so he came out to join Tulsa teachers and parents in the walk.

"When what you're doing is not quite getting the job done, you gotta take it to the next level, and when I heard about the march, I knew this was a next level kind of thing,” he said.

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Baker said he hopes lawmakers notice what they're doing.

"I'm gonna walk 15 miles for Oklahoma students today, and I wanna know what our legislators are gonna do for our students today," he said.

Teachers packed a U-Haul with water, snacks and luggage, which will be traveling alongside them throughout their trip to the Capitol.

Thursday was a 15-mile, five-hour walk from Kellyville High School to Bristow High School.

Hamilton Elementary teacher Danielle Terrio said when she started teaching she never thought she'd have to fight so hard, and so often, for what her students need in the classroom.

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"The trauma, the lack of resources for our students and our population. We didn't expect not to have the resources to address those issues, even when we know they're happening," she said.

Just because they're walking, doesn’t mean they aren't paying attention to what's happening at the Capitol. Baker said the House passing the Amazon tax bill is a sign teachers are getting through to lawmakers, but there's still more work to do.

"Twenty-million yesterday is good. If they get 20 million in funding every day we're looking at another two weeks of the walkout cause we're trying to get to 200," he said.

Teachers and parents plan to arrive at the Capitol Tuesday.