Capitol Field Trips

   The teacher walk-out is officially over with teachers and students returning to the classroom as of last Monday. As a result of the walk-out, teachers received a much-needed pay increase, which averages around $6,000 (gross pay) in annual salary per teacher. After taxes and tax increases teachers will pay for their raise, most teachers will see about a $300 per month increase in take-home pay. While the pay increase was provided by lawmakers the week before the actual walk-out on April 2, in hopes that it would prevent the walk-out - teachers walked out anyway. Many lawmakers have resigned early, as 17 of the 100-member House of Representatives are not running for re-election. Numerous reasons have been cited for this record number of resignations, but the one common theme that many lawmakers have is that "the work was harder than expected".
   All Blanchard teachers, many parents, and some students, traveled to the capitol each and every day of the walk-out in support of more operational funding, as Oklahoma legislators had cut appropriations to public schools by over 28% since 2008. No other state even cracked 20% in cuts to public schools.
   Now comes the "after walk-out" in-school activities. Several teachers, having been to the capitol and witnessed the legislative process first-hand, requested that student field trips be scheduled to the capitol to be a part of students' educational experience. Several more teachers make the trip to the capitol each year as a regular part of their curriculum, in studying and celebrating Oklahoma Statehood, and viewing the artwork on the inside walls of the Capitol. In no way, shape, or form, will sponsoring teachers be allowed to lobby lawmakers for any reason - and no students will be allowed to lobby lawmakers for increased student funding or operational funding. Any contact to lawmakers will be simply to deliver "thank-you" notes to lawmakers who certainly worked overtime to provide the teacher pay raises, or to see lawmakers at work from the gallery. All elementary students who participate in these field trips will have their parents permission to attend - and hopefully learn from the experience. There have been concerns, however, that the field trips will be for trying to convince lawmakers to appropriately fund our public schools, but I can assure you - that is not the case. That ship has sailed, and all teachers and most parents know this. Any parent who assumes otherwise has the authority to keep his or her child from attending, as other learning opportunities will be provided at school.