OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The Oklahoma State Board of Education proposed a $5,000 pay raise for teachers at Thursday’s board meeting to attract and keep teachers in Oklahoma’s classrooms.
If the proposal is turned into a bill and passed, it would bring teacher salaries up to $59,096, making it the top in the region.
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Oklahoma is currently ranked 4th out of the 7 states in the region which includes Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas.
The OSDE says the COVID pandemic and teacher retirements contributed to the drop in the number of teachers in 2019 and 2020. To attract and keep highly effective teachers, State Superintendent and current Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Joy Hofmeister wants those salaries to increase to the national average by 2025.
The proposal also calls for an average teacher pay of $63,500 to $65,000 for special education teaches and a 7.5-10% compensation above standard teacher pay through new training and micro-credentials to teach students with Dyslexia, Autism and other disabilities.
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