Beginning April 2nd, many Oklahoma educators and state employees are planning to close schools and walk out unless lawmakers pass a plan to raise substantial revenues. The Oklahoma Education Association has released an outline of what will be needed to prevent or end the walkout. Their plan includes a $10,000 teacher pay raise over three years, a state employee pay raise, and funds to save health care services and undo some of the cuts to education funding and other critical public services. It would cost $812 million in the first year and $1.4 billion by FY 2021.

The plan is ambitious, but Oklahoma lawmakers have many good options to raise the needed revenues. Now you can see what decisions YOU would make.

Step 1: Review the plan

To help address the state’s funding crisis, the OEA budget plan includes five components:

• An immediate $6,000 raise for teachers in FY 2019, followed by additional $2,000 raises in FY 2020 and FY 2021;
• An immediate $2,500 raise for school support staff in FY 2019, followed by additional $1,250 raises in FY 2020 and 2021;
• An additional $75 million for the next two years and $50 million in FY 20201 to undo cuts to public school funding;
• An additional $71 million each year for three years to provide raises to state employees;
• An additional $235 million in FY 2019 and $21 million more in FY 2020 to fund health care services.

The plan would require $812 million in additional funding in FY 2019. Costs in future years may be covered by a mixure of new revenues and growth of existing revenues.

Fund year one of the plan (Cost: $812 million) The year one funding items include a $6,000 teacher pay raise, a $2,500 education support worker raise, $75 million to undo funding cuts to education, $71 million to give state workers a raise, and $235 million to protect health care services.

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Step 2: Find the funding!

Oklahoma is required by law to balance its budget every year, so let’s find a way to pay for these programs in a responsible way. To learn more about any of the revenue options listed below, click on the question marks.

NOTE: The list includes three options for increasing the gross production tax (GPT). To avoid double-counting revenues, choose no more than one of these options.

Step 3: Start the conversation

Congratulations! You found room in the budget to end the walkout and fund our schools and services, and you did it responsibly!