Getting out of education

Some people are so fed up with education funding their leaving the field altogether. <br><br>News on Six anchor Scott Thompson has the story of two Rogers County educators that say they can't afford

Monday, November 18th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Some people are so fed up with education funding their leaving the field altogether.

News on Six anchor Scott Thompson has the story of two Rogers County educators that say they can't afford to do their job.

For Patrick Gotcher working in education has always been something of a calling. "God created me real small and real active with a lot of energy for a reason and that was to be around children." But after 13 years in Rogers County schools, Gotcher is leaving. "You go through stages in your life and I'm at a stage right now where I have to adequately provide for my family and I have to look towards the future." A future he says looked pretty dim in education, made dimmer by this year's budget cuts.

Gotcher is the sole breadwinner for a family of five and he said high insurance costs and low pay forced him to leave a job he loved. And it's a trend echoing throughout Rogers County. After 9 years as Sequoyah Schools Superintendent, Ron Etheridge is also resigning. "This is a great school system and I've got a real good board but the fact is that I'm working for basically half of what I could be making if I went out of the state or if I get out of education."

Itâ€™s a decision Gotcher says more educators are going to make. "If several people a lot of people started leaving the field than I think our leaders would have to take a serious look at this."