"Step Up Oklahoma" says they can solve OK financial woes

[Billybob]

Like these:

How about stiff mandatory prison sentences for any theft or abuse of school funds instead of giving any deferred sentences?
How about a system of self insurance so the public doesn't have to pay for the lawsuits over teacher sex crimes?
Maybe something needs to be looked at concerning vendor contracts since just a few years ago vendors, many with no bid contracts were making donations to an education slush fund used for parties.
Some might remember that much of this started a few years back when a reading reform act brought out the fact that many kids couldn't read but were being passed anyway(Anyone remember Dexter Manly?). There's a fact few want to address about some kids not being as able or not wanting to learn but it seems that has to be ignored for the sake of "equality" and rights.
Restore discipline measures in the classroom instead of kid's "rights" being the priority. Edison in Tulsa is a prime example, there was a walkout there today and while some cited the teacher pay issue others said there's no discipline and some kids know they can get away with bad actions which disturbs the learning environment. Some might remember Edison was where two students raped a janitor recently and there have been other issues also. Remember a few years back the DOJ told schools the discipline policies were racist and had to change or there would be action against them.
Student/parental input and responsibility needs addressed, one specific area is language. There are 80 different languages used in Tulsa schools that have to be accommodated, 120 translators have been hired just to handle parent/teacher conferences and they say it needs to be expanded. Who should be responsible for this issue the taxpayers or those who don't speak English but want free education?
We get a lot of he said-they said stuff regarding what's going on in some classrooms so maybe we should consider video so we'll know what's really going on?
How about excluding social engineering like gender identity or stuff like the teacher in Norman giving a lecture over the racial divide who told his class "To be white is to be racist, period". Until all the 3rd. graders can read and graduates don't need remedial high school classes in college(40% or so) maybe academics should be the sole focus.

 

[Buzzgun]

Since we are talking about schools and teachers.......


At the risk of getting blasted, here are some quick facts I dug up.

I did a quick google search for teacher salaries in Oklahoma.....it said minimum salaries range from $31,600 to $46,000 plus benefits for roughly 180 work days (10 month contract).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the Moore Oklahoma public schools website (first one I found when snooping around):

http://www.mooreschools.com/page/734

Teacher Facts

• 
  Teacher Facts
  Moore Public Schools Employment
  “An Equal Opportunity Employer”
  
  COMPENSATION
  • Above (+) Okla. Minimum Teacher Salary
  • Schedule
  • M.P.S. – 6-tier salary schedule (BS, BS +15,
  • MS, MS+15, MS+30, Ph.D.)
  • Adjust @ midterm - # of hours or additional degree
  • Experience – All Oklahoma Certified Public
  • School, 10 years out of state, 5 years military
  • Additional stipend (5% total comp) – Special
  • Education Teachers, Counselors, Alternative
  • Stipends for selected Vocational
  • Mentor Teachers - $500.00 per year
  • Summer School - $18.00 per hour
  • Night Alternative – Staff - $18.00 per hour
  • Extra Duty – One of state’s highest paid (i.e.
  • Department Chair, Sponsors, Coaches, etc.)
  • Pay 2 (two) times per month
  CONTRACT WORK YEAR
  • (Work Year) 182 Days
  • 175 teaching (with 2 parent/teacher conf)
  • 2 Record days
  • 3 Inservice days
  • 2 Professional days
  • Day – 6 ¾ hours
  • Prep time : Elem. – 225 minutes/week. Secondary - 275 minutes/week
  • Lunch – Duty Free
  • Class Size – Grade Level*
  • Pre K = 20 students with assistant
  • K-3 = 20 students or max of 26 students with assistant
  • Grades 4 – 6 = 20 students + (state formula) = max of 26 students
  • Secondary = 140 students per day (exceptions : Music, PE)
  • Holidays :
  • Labor Day (1)
  • Fall Break (2)
  • Thanksgiving Break (3)
  • Christmas Break (10)
  • Martin L. King Day (1)
  • Spring Break (5)
  LEAVE BENEFITS
  • Leave – (per year)
  • Personal – 3 days
  • Emergency – 2 days
  • Sick Leave – 10 days
  • Sick Leave “District-Wide Share Plan” -maximum 100 days
  • Extended Sick Leave - maximum 20 days
  • Leave without pay – option
  • Leave of Absence (LOA) – 1 semester and/or year (3 yrs prior service in district required)
  • Military – 30 days
  • Jury Duty/Legal Proceedings – available
  • Family Medical Leave (FMLA) max 12 weeks per year / concurrent
  PAID INSURANCE BENEFITS
  Click here for more information.
  Major Medical
  Life Insurance - District-Paid Life Policy: AD&D/Term $10,000.00
  Retirement – Oklahoma Teachers District paid 100%
  Travel Allowance – IRS rate per mile
  • When applicable
  Payroll Deductions offered
  
  • *Annuities
  • *American Family Life: (AFLAC), cancer, heart, disability, various other products
  • *American Fidelity: accident,cancer, critical care, disability, GAP, life, long term care, various other products
  • *Cancer
  • *Dependent Day Care-FLEX
  • *Dental
  • *Dread Disease
  • *Flexible Savings Account for medical (FSA)
  • *Health Care
  • *Health Savings Account (HSA)
  • Legal Shield
  • Life Insurance
  • *NTA-cancer
  • *Vision
  * Denotes items that may be eligible to be deducted on a before-tax basis under IRS Section 125. Please visit the Insurance Coordinator or your agent.
  
  http://www.mooreschools.com/site/Default.aspx?PageID=751
  
  Certified Insurance/Benefits
  • 
    DOE FAQ about the paid Flexible Benefit Allowance
    
    Certified personnel contracted at least (6) six hours a day/(30) thirty hours a week or more will receive an additional PAID monthly flexible benefit allowance (FBA) of $571.04* ($285.52* each payday) when any one of the state’s health plans is chosen. The full FBA amount is paid regardless of which health plan is chosen.
    
    The FBA is reduced to $69.72* ($34.86* each payday) when the certified employee is contracted for thirty hours or more per week or is an eligible full time certified employee but chooses to opt out of health coverage.
    
    *FBA is based on the current negotiated contract between the current certified association and the Moore Public School Board of Education.
    
    Moore Public Schools offers major health, dental, vision, and life insurance under the Plan Administration of the Oklahoma State Employees Group Insurance Division (EGID); a division of Oklahoma's Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES).
    
    
    
    OKLAHOMA TEACHER’S RETIREMENT
    100% District-Paid
    
    District-Paid Life Insurance
    All full-time employees receive a district-paid group life insurance: $10K Basic Life/$10K AD&D. Administrators receive an additional STD/LTD package under this group benefit.
    
    SECTION 125 BENEFIT OPTIONS
    The Section 125 plan allows employees to deduct a wide variety of needed benefits from their gross earnings on a before tax basis, which increases your take home pay. Some of these benefits include: FLEX accounts for unreimbursed medical and child care, health, dental, vision, cancer plans, and dread disease.
    
    PAYROLL DEDUCTED OPTIONS
    Moore Public Schools contracts with AFPlanServ to be our Third Party Administrator (TPA). Employees have a variety of investment options to choose from. Other optional after-tax benefits may also be elected such as disability, long term care and life insurance.
    
    Investment 403(b) Providers
    AMERICAN FIDELITY
    GWN MARKETING
    HORACE MANN
    NATIONAL LIFE GROUP (FORMERLY LIFE INSURANCE OF THE SOUTHWEST)
    METLIFE
    SECURITY BENEFITS
    AXA EQUITABLE LIFE INSURANCE
    
    457 Investment Plan
    
    GWN Marketing administers this plan.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also from google, the median household income in Oklahoma last year was $51,424.

There are LOTS of folks in Oklahoma working a lot more hours for a lot less pay......not saying that is necessarily good, it is just a fact.

Yes, I know teachers have a higher education degree, but I have often wondered.....do we really want folks teaching our kids that weren't smart enough to figure out salary potential of their intended profession before getting a degree??

Did they not think about what they would earn before spending 4 years getting that degree??

Another thought....Could we quit building multimillion dollar school sports facilities and use that money to actually educate students??

 

[filbert]

Yes....minority rule. 35 get their way....and my kids class sizes will go up another 5, maybe 10, students. If they are lucky they can have a 4 day school week too! You're doing fine Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Ok! Dead last in the country in edumacashun and no end in sight!!!

Very good Lakenut, we call it a republic, not a democracy.

Since we are talking about schools and teachers.......


At the risk of getting blasted, here are some quick facts I dug up.

I did a quick google search for teacher salaries in Oklahoma.....it said minimum salaries range from $31,600 to $46,000 plus benefits for roughly 180 work days (10 month contract).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the Moore Oklahoma public schools website (first one I found when snooping around):

http://www.mooreschools.com/page/734

Teacher Facts

• 
  Teacher Facts
  Moore Public Schools Employment
  “An Equal Opportunity Employer”
  
  COMPENSATION
  • Above (+) Okla. Minimum Teacher Salary
  • Schedule
  • M.P.S. – 6-tier salary schedule (BS, BS +15,
  • MS, MS+15, MS+30, Ph.D.)
  • Adjust @ midterm - # of hours or additional degree
  • Experience – All Oklahoma Certified Public
  • School, 10 years out of state, 5 years military
  • Additional stipend (5% total comp) – Special
  • Education Teachers, Counselors, Alternative
  • Stipends for selected Vocational
  • Mentor Teachers - $500.00 per year
  • Summer School - $18.00 per hour
  • Night Alternative – Staff - $18.00 per hour
  • Extra Duty – One of state’s highest paid (i.e.
  • Department Chair, Sponsors, Coaches, etc.)
  • Pay 2 (two) times per month
  CONTRACT WORK YEAR
  • (Work Year) 182 Days
  • 175 teaching (with 2 parent/teacher conf)
  • 2 Record days
  • 3 Inservice days
  • 2 Professional days
  • Day – 6 ¾ hours
  • Prep time : Elem. – 225 minutes/week. Secondary - 275 minutes/week
  • Lunch – Duty Free
  • Class Size – Grade Level*
  • Pre K = 20 students with assistant
  • K-3 = 20 students or max of 26 students with assistant
  • Grades 4 – 6 = 20 students + (state formula) = max of 26 students
  • Secondary = 140 students per day (exceptions : Music, PE)
  • Holidays :
  • Labor Day (1)
  • Fall Break (2)
  • Thanksgiving Break (3)
  • Christmas Break (10)
  • Martin L. King Day (1)
  • Spring Break (5)
  LEAVE BENEFITS
  • Leave – (per year)
  • Personal – 3 days
  • Emergency – 2 days
  • Sick Leave – 10 days
  • Sick Leave “District-Wide Share Plan” -maximum 100 days
  • Extended Sick Leave - maximum 20 days
  • Leave without pay – option
  • Leave of Absence (LOA) – 1 semester and/or year (3 yrs prior service in district required)
  • Military – 30 days
  • Jury Duty/Legal Proceedings – available
  • Family Medical Leave (FMLA) max 12 weeks per year / concurrent
  PAID INSURANCE BENEFITS
  Click here for more information.
  Major Medical
  Life Insurance - District-Paid Life Policy: AD&D/Term $10,000.00
  Retirement – Oklahoma Teachers District paid 100%
  Travel Allowance – IRS rate per mile
  • When applicable
  Payroll Deductions offered
  
  • *Annuities
  • *American Family Life: (AFLAC), cancer, heart, disability, various other products
  • *American Fidelity: accident,cancer, critical care, disability, GAP, life, long term care, various other products
  • *Cancer
  • *Dependent Day Care-FLEX
  • *Dental
  • *Dread Disease
  • *Flexible Savings Account for medical (FSA)
  • *Health Care
  • *Health Savings Account (HSA)
  • Legal Shield
  • Life Insurance
  • *NTA-cancer
  • *Vision
  * Denotes items that may be eligible to be deducted on a before-tax basis under IRS Section 125. Please visit the Insurance Coordinator or your agent.
  
  http://www.mooreschools.com/site/Default.aspx?PageID=751
  
  Certified Insurance/Benefits
  • 
    DOE FAQ about the paid Flexible Benefit Allowance
    
    Certified personnel contracted at least (6) six hours a day/(30) thirty hours a week or more will receive an additional PAID monthly flexible benefit allowance (FBA) of $571.04* ($285.52* each payday) when any one of the state’s health plans is chosen. The full FBA amount is paid regardless of which health plan is chosen.
    
    The FBA is reduced to $69.72* ($34.86* each payday) when the certified employee is contracted for thirty hours or more per week or is an eligible full time certified employee but chooses to opt out of health coverage.
    
    *FBA is based on the current negotiated contract between the current certified association and the Moore Public School Board of Education.
    
    Moore Public Schools offers major health, dental, vision, and life insurance under the Plan Administration of the Oklahoma State Employees Group Insurance Division (EGID); a division of Oklahoma's Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES).
    
    
    
    OKLAHOMA TEACHER’S RETIREMENT
    100% District-Paid
    
    District-Paid Life Insurance
    All full-time employees receive a district-paid group life insurance: $10K Basic Life/$10K AD&D. Administrators receive an additional STD/LTD package under this group benefit.
    
    SECTION 125 BENEFIT OPTIONS
    The Section 125 plan allows employees to deduct a wide variety of needed benefits from their gross earnings on a before tax basis, which increases your take home pay. Some of these benefits include: FLEX accounts for unreimbursed medical and child care, health, dental, vision, cancer plans, and dread disease.
    
    PAYROLL DEDUCTED OPTIONS
    Moore Public Schools contracts with AFPlanServ to be our Third Party Administrator (TPA). Employees have a variety of investment options to choose from. Other optional after-tax benefits may also be elected such as disability, long term care and life insurance.
    
    Investment 403(b) Providers
    AMERICAN FIDELITY
    GWN MARKETING
    HORACE MANN
    NATIONAL LIFE GROUP (FORMERLY LIFE INSURANCE OF THE SOUTHWEST)
    METLIFE
    SECURITY BENEFITS
    AXA EQUITABLE LIFE INSURANCE
    
    457 Investment Plan
    
    GWN Marketing administers this plan.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also from google, the median household income in Oklahoma last year was $51,424.

There are LOTS of folks in Oklahoma working a lot more hours for a lot less pay......not saying that is necessarily good, it is just a fact.

Yes, I know teachers have a higher education degree, but I have often wondered.....do we really want folks teaching our kids that weren't smart enough to figure out salary potential of their intended profession before getting a degree??

Did they not think about what they would earn before spending 4 years getting that degree??

Another thought....Could we quit building multimillion dollar school sports facilities and use that money to actually educate students??

Amen Brother, preach it!

 

[rawhide]

do we really want folks teaching our kids that weren't smart enough to figure out salary potential of their intended profession before getting a degree??
Did they not think about what they would earn before spending 4 years getting that degree??

How do you propose getting those "smarter" people to take on the task? Maybe they should join the military or go into law enforcement since, based on their compensation, those people must not be "smart enough" to do anything else either. Continuing to undervalue while also failing to understand what educators actually do while bashing them as overpaid, under worked proponents of progressive liberalism will certainly help attract more qualified, dedicated professionals to the field.

On second thought, maybe your right. Why would any highly educated, dedicated educator want to remain in Oklahoma to pursue their chosen profession?

Another thought....Could we quit building multimillion dollar school sports facilities and use that money to actually educate students??
You certainly can. Funding for those projects are approved by voters in those districts.

 

[rawhide]

Very good Lakenut, we call it a republic, not a democracy.

In a republic the legislature would have the power to enact legislation, properly manage funds, and wield real oversight over state agencies. But, through democratic referendum our legislature's authority was reduced and passed to the people to reign them in. Guess it worked.

 

[Buzzgun]

Rawhide

I never said teachers were overpaid or underworked, so please don't confuse your thoughts with my words!

When you look at the actual salary and benefits teachers receive, instead of just listening to them complain about being underpaid, it sheds a new light on the situation. There are a lot of hard working folks in Oklahoma who would love to make that kind of money......are teachers better than them.......how many of them would love to have a $5000/year raise for the same work?? Many of them are working without any benefits and they darn sure don't get a paid day off to go to the capitol and protest for more money......

I am sick of hearing about how underpaid some professions are.....why should any of us sympathize with anyone who willingly enters into a profession and then complains about the pay and working conditions?? Is anyone holding a gun to teacher's heads?? Are they not free to go do something else if they aren't satisfied with the pay??

And, yes, I wonder about the intelligence of someone who spends 4 years in college and then finds out their chosen field doesn't pay as much as they think it should. It took me just a couple of minutes to find the Moore school district info I posted......if I was thinking about becoming a teacher, I'd sure spend a couple of minutes to find out how much they make before I spent 4 years in college getting a degree to do it!!!

The news last night had a report about a student walkout at Tulsa Edison yesterday.....they were protesting school conditions and teacher pay.......and, guess what, instead of being disciplined, they all received excused absences for skipping school to protest!!! I'd bet pretty good money this little protest wasn't dreamed up by students......

This kind of stuff does not make me want to vote for a teacher pay raise.

And, just for the record, I have 2 sister in laws that are currently teaching in Oklahoma and a brother in law that is a retired Oklahoma teacher. I have never, and will never, vote to build million+ dollar sports facilities.

 

[filbert]

In a republic the legislature would have the power to enact legislation, properly manage funds, and wield real oversight over state agencies. But, through democratic referendum our legislature's authority was reduced and passed to the people to reign them in. Guess it worked.

And the legislature has not done any of those, managed the budget, keep oversight on the agencies(health department is an example), or enacted good legislation. All Republics send referendums to the people, the power to tax has been abused, and the funds the state has raised have been abused, I won't give them a dime more. Especially the schools, big day care centers, most of those kids are bored out of there minds. I know, I was one of them 40 years ago.

 

[Glocktogo]

The ONLY state tax referendum I'd be willing to support at this point, would be funding for independent, external audits of EVERY dime spent every year by the state, with a free online public report each year. If your budget shows discrepancies, then you get audited quarterly for 5 consecutive years without discrepancy.

 

[sanjuro893]

The ONLY state tax referendum I'd be willing to support at this point, would be funding for independent, external audits of EVERY dime spent every year by the state, with a free online public report each year. If your budget shows discrepancies, then you get audited quarterly for 5 consecutive years without discrepancy.

I only "liked" this post because there was no "LOVE" button.

 

[dennishoddy]

Another thought....Could we quit building multimillion dollar school sports facilities and use that money to actually educate students??

No, It's not possible. Remember the mantra.....sports pay the way for the schools.....lottery pays the way for the schools.....horse racing pays the way for the schools.....gambling pays the way for the schools.....

Everytime, we as voters have allowed a new revenue generator to say they can save our schools, the legislature has taken the money they used to dedicate to schools to go away in lieu of the "new" way to fund our schools, and now they are backed into a corner.
Fawk them. They need to be cornered, quartered, and eaten.