Tulsa Public Schools announce a protest and possible resolution
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Tulsa Public Schools announced plans to protest after talk of a statewide walkout to force a change in teacher pay and education funding. Tulsa Public Schools joined with the Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association to discuss an agreement for teachers to work their contracts, which means no extra duties without pay.
The district says teachers will start restricting what they do for schools, on their personal time, starting Monday.
"The time has come. It is now, the moment at which we are going to show we mean business, because our phone calls and our letters and emails haven’t gotten us there," explained Dr. Deborah Gist, Superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools, but she says a walkout for one day could come in April after the district tries to work with legislators to support an adequate bill.
The district is considering a resolution, released during the monthly board meeting, which would include showing support for legislative advocacy and other actions, "Such as working contract, participating in organized walkouts and engaging in a statewide shutdown of our public education system," read board member Shawna Keller.
The board would vote for the resolution on March 15 while teachers might be protesting. Still, the resolution is not enough for teachers like Larry Cagle, who says the district should make a power move.
"They should have announced a strike. They should have looked at the legislature straight in the eye and said, 'Enough of you two. You Democrats and you Republicans, you figure it out. I don’t care what your solution is, you fund these schools, and you pay these teachers a decent wage,'" said Cagle.
