The Perfect Teacher Pay Raise Plan

   Many country music fans have heard David Allan Coe's You Never Even Called Me by My Name - the perfect country and western song, but few have heard of the perfect teacher pay raise plan... until now. I believe it is perfect for many reasons, as all pay raise plans introduced so far are imperfect in one way or another. I'll give you the details of the plan, but first, the Oklahoma Association of School Administrators (OASA), the Cooperative Council of Oklahoma School Administrators, the Oklahoma State School Board Association (OSSBA), as well as many teachers statewide believe this plan is perfect for the following reasons:

1) The Step Up Plan is short and to the point...
   It is only one page in length, unlike many pay raise plans which are lengthy, ambiguous, and have      many hidden costs such as administrative increases.

2) The appropriate funding and revenue streams are spelled out in the plan...
   * Expand sales tax to services and eliminate outdated deductions - $200 million
   * Capture new Internet sales tax - ($)
   * Cigarette tax increase, $1.03 a pack - $181.6 million
   * Curb subsidies for wind energy - $123 million
   * Tax wind energy production at the same rate as oil and gas production - $74 million
   * 3 Cent gas and diesel tax increase - $86 million
   * Updated Assessment system - ($)
   * Gross Production Rate Increase from 2% to 4% (just a little bit) - ($)
 
* Proposal and revenue figures obtained from Governor Fallin's FY 2016 Budget proposal

3) The Step Up Plan requires that NO revenue be taken from other state agencies, such as    Transportation, Health Care, Public Safety, or Corrections.

4) The Step Up Plan's funding  comes from recurring revenue sources, unlike most plans which rely   on one-time monies.

5) Every penny is accounted for as to how it will be spent.
   The goal of $200 Million for the first year -
* 90% ($180 million) for teacher pay raise ($3000 across the board)
* 10% ($20 million) for Step-Up initiatives:
   a) Support staff pay raises
   b) Lower class sizes to meet HB 1017 requirements
   c) Teacher merit compensation system (stipends)
   d) District curriculum resources
This 10% will be up to local boards as which and how much $ each of the 4 Step Up initiatives receive.

   At the conclusion of the first year of funding the Step Up Plan, a transparent adequacy and efficiency study will be conducted to include local revenue flexibility, finances, school structures, and instructional hours/days recommendations. The second year will see a continuation of the $200 million plus $100 million, of which 70% ($70 million) will go to additional teacher raises ($1,160) and 30% ($30 million) to Step Up initiatives. Years three and four will continue the $100 million 70/30 split, until the 4-year Step Up Plan is complete and teachers will be receiving a $6,500 pay raise.
   Just as Steve Goodman wrote the perfect country and western song when he included mama, trains, trucks, prison, and the rain - I believe Derald Glover in conjunction with the CCOSA and OASA has written the perfect teacher pay raise plan by including recurring revenue streams, expenditure details, and the fact that the Step Up Plan takes no money from other agencies.
   The OASA believes there is hope for Oklahoma's teachers and students. With a new year and a new legislative session comes a renewed focus on "doing the right thing" by our kids. State officials, school leaders, educators, parents, the business community, and other education stake holders have an opportunity to work together to implement a log-term plan to increase teacher pay and funding. An oft-quoted maxim states: Where there is no vision, the people perish. Fortunately for our states children, we have a vision for bettering Oklahoma schools and look forward to collaboratively pursuing that vision in 2017.