Arkansas vs. Oklahoma: Teachers crossing the border for better pay, support
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) - No one would call Arkansas a rich state, but somehow they have it figured out - how to pay teachers $10,000 more than what they would make in Oklahoma.
Lincoln High School in Lincoln, Arkansas is a brand-new building. It’s in the Lincoln School district about 10 miles away from the Oklahoma border.
“Our starting salary is $36,000 for a bachelor's and $39,000 for a master’s degree,” said Mary Ann Spears, superintendent of Lincoln Schools.
The average teacher in Tulsa gets a starting salary of $31,000.
“What can you use on a resume to present to a possible employer?” asked teacher Wes Newby to his students.
Newby is a "master teacher" at Lincoln. He coaches other teachers, as well as helps students with creating a plan after graduation.
Before teaching at Lincoln, Newby spent 19 years teaching in Oklahoma.
“I used to work after school to help make ends meet, and I don’t have to do that anymore,” said Newby.
Ryan Acord’s attempt at teaching in Oklahoma ended after his first school year.
“I mean, after being here in Arkansas, it’s not even comparable,” said Acord.
Acord is the special education teacher at Lincoln Middle School. He’s also the coordinator and coach for the Special Olympics.
“I received almost an $8,000 raise to move less than 20 miles,” said Acord.
The Lincoln School district is made up of about 1,200 kids. Its town square is like many in small-town America - a post office and the American Legion sit near old shops and empty buildings.
Just about 10 miles from downtown Lincoln is Westville, Oklahoma. It is parallel to Lincoln in all aspects, except for the fact it's lost at least 10 teachers to Arkansas over the last five years.
One of the teachers tempted to move is Rhonda Dixon.
“My family and I sat down and talked about it a few years ago. It was a really big decision, because we would probably have to move our entire family,” said Dixon.
Dixon teaches kindergartners at Westville. She said the faces she sees every day are what drove her to tough it out.
“I love being a part of their lives, so that helped me make the decision to stay in Oklahoma,” said Dixon.
She is one of the many teachers across the state of Oklahoma bearing the continued burden of budget cuts.
“It means we may be taking our trash out every day,” said Dixon. “Our kindergarten building, we purchased a mop for our building just to help out.”
The opposite is happening just 10 miles away.
“Education is a priority for our legislature and our state. I feel that we’re not being told, 'You’ve got to do with 20 percent less this year.' That’s just ridiculous,” said Spears.
Brenda Bernet, with the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, has covered education for years.
“I’ve written about schools for most of my career,” said Bernet.
She focuses on the education beat in Northwest Arkansas. She said the conversation around education has been focused on the students.
“There’s just an increasing interest in giving students more of a say in what they’re learning and what goals they’re reaching,” said Bernet.
That’s exactly what’s happening at Lincoln.
“I feel very supported by our state legislature and our Department of Ed,” said Spears. “We’ll just as soon take some more students and some more teachers from Oklahoma.”
Master teacher Newby agrees, even driving through two Oklahoma school districts to get to work.
“I think Arkansas recognizes they’re either going to pay it on the front end or they’re going to pay it on the back end,” said Newby.
“There are great, great teachers that I’ve worked with,” said Acord. “They wonder how they can get over here.”
Dixon said she plans to stay in her classroom at Westville.
“I’m not leaving teaching, I’m not leaving Oklahoma,” said Dixon.
When the I-Team asked if she believes lawmakers in Oklahoma are counting on her loyalty, “I think so, I think so,” said Dixon.
The welcome sign to Arkansas may just be letting people know when they’re crossing the state line, but it’s now become a welcome sign inviting families, students and teachers to come on over.
