Tulsa Teacher Reacts To Emergency Funding Bill Signed Monday

Good news for Oklahoma teachers. A yearly stipend that nearly 3,000 state educators lost last year -- will be restored.

Governor Mary Fallin signed an emergency funding bill into law Monday. Part of the $92-million will cover bonuses for teachers who are nationally board certified.

The word "emergency" means that the funding bill goes into effect immediately. So teachers who receive extra training get that $5,000 stipend this year.

John Waldron is wholly invested in teaching, which is why he became Nationally Board-certified.

"It really takes a year's work, but it's really important because it changes the way teachers think about the profession," Waldron said.

Waldron and his wife both went through the certification. When the State Department of Education cut the $5,000 stipends promised to teachers with the extra training, the Waldrons took a $10,000 hit.

"We cut back on expenses; we didn't go out as much. I didn't buy new clothes for a year, I got a second job," Waldron said.

Waldron is one of more than 2,800 Oklahoma teachers who lost out, but that changed when Governor Fallin put pen to paper Monday.

The $92.5 million supplemental funding bill she signed into law includes nearly $15 million to restore the national certification bonuses for this year.

"There were a lot of voices of sympathy and understanding and people really went to bat for us. Which I think is really important because it restores trust," Waldron said.

The law only takes care of this year's stipend. The board certifications last for ten years and Waldron doesn't know if he'll get stipends for his remaining six years.

"I know that it's been an expanding burden on the legislature, but if you think education is expensive, try ignorance," he said.

Waldron says he hopes lawmakers continue to fight for improvements in the classroom.

Here's how the rest of the bill is divvied up:

•  $37.6 million goes to insurance benefits for teachers and support staff.
• $34.1 million goes to natural disaster assistance.
• $5 million goes to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol to train and hire troopers.
• $1 million goes to the State Medical Examiner's office for personnel and equipment.

 The state changed how it divided up taxes on oil production to pay for the bill.