Cleveland lawmaker says teachers should ignore education rally next month

Wednesday, January 15th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- State Representative Larry Ferguson says teachers should ignore a school-day rally at the Capitol on February 12th to support a temporary 1-cent sales tax increase.

The Oklahoma Education Association has recommended that teachers use a personal or professional day to attend the rally.

Ferguson says that could add a day at the end of the school year and could create scheduling conflicts between students and their parents.

He has suggested alternatives such as a Saturday meeting between legislators and teachers or local meetings between lawmakers and teachers.

OEA president Carolyn Crowder says experience has shown that education has benefited from teacher rallies at the Capitol, like in 1990, when a major school tax and reform package was adopted.