Education Board to ask legislators for base teacher salary increase

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Lawmakers will be asked to consider increasing the minimum salary for teachers by 5 percent in the next legislative session.

The State Board of Education voted Tuesday to request the increase, which would give a teacher with no experience and a bachelor's degree $1,353 over his/her present $27,060 salary.

Teachers with a BA and at step 15 on the salary schedule would receive $1,643 on top of their $32,869 salary.

Figures show the pay hike would cost at least $73.59 million, excluding FICA and retirement funds. That would push the Oklahoma Department of Education's budget request to more than $2.3 billion, the largest ever.

"You're going to have to give these raises just to keep up,"

board member Luke Corbett said.

Districts that already pay more than the state-mandated minimum teacher salaries wouldn't have to award the full 5 percent, but state schools Superintendent Sandy Garrett said that's the proposal's intent.

"We certainly hope that they would. We think all teachers are deserving," she said.

Garrett also said she doesn't expect to receive all the money requested, but is hopeful lawmakers will continue their commitment to higher teacher salaries.

Jenks School Superintendent Kirby Lehman said he also supports an increase, but, "To stay competitive, it will take more than 5 percent," he said.

Lehman said last year's $3,000 teachers' raise will be consumed by increasing insurance rates.

Board members also want lawmakers to consider adopting a pay-for-performance plan. They don't know how they would judge performance, but Garrett and board members said that would give good teachers more incentive to stay in Oklahoma.

"People are more willing to accept change if their base wages are fair," Corbett said. "We want to pay fair wages, but we also want to move toward pay for performance."

State Sen. Cal Hobson, D-Lexington, and chairman of the education appropriations subcommittee, said most of the state's new money is already allocated.

"I will do everything I can do to find additional resources for education," Hobson said. "But it would be irresponsible to say we can do that because I don't know how to do that yet."

In other action, the board voted to assess financial penalties against 25 districts for not providing information to the state Education Department by Sept. 15. As a result, the department will withhold $341,017 in state aid from the districts.

The Broken Bow School District was fined the most -- $55,520. The Oklahoma Union district in Nowata County, Varnum and Roland in Seminole County and Maryetta in Adair County also were fined.

Board members voted to forgive another 27 districts from $744,170 in penalties, saying most were caused by computer errors.

The board also approved mid-year funding for schools. Districts get more money if they have unexpected enrollment increases and lose money if local tax revenues are unexpectedly high.

Oklahoma City schools will get an extra $1.17 million, while Tulsa schools will reap an additional $895,000. Jenks will lose $59,887 and the Tulsa Union district lost $89,401.