“Today’s supplemental funding measures will help to ensure the state of Oklahoma is keeping its commitment to our teachers, protecting our citizens by putting more troopers on our state highways, and providing necessary assistance to communities hard-hit by natural disasters. It also provides necessary personnel and equipment upgrades at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, helping to put that agency back on a path to accreditation.
“All of these funding measures are both urgent and necessary. I applaud the Legislature for sending this supplemental bill to my desk quickly, and I am happy to be able to sign it into law.”
SB 1959, authored by Sen. Clark Jolley and Rep. Earl Sears, includes emergency funding provisions for natural disaster assistance to local communities, counties and other qualified entities ($34.1 million); insurance benefits for teachers and support staff ($37.6 million); a trooper academy for the Department of Public Safety ($5 million); personnel and equipment for the State Medical Examiner’s Office ($1 million); and funding for teacher National Board Certification bonuses ($14.8 million).
Does this mean that the funds that teachers can expect to receive their funds that were to be issued this past January very soon? If so, this is great news! It was a bitter pill to not receive a stipend for my last year of commitment.
ReplyDeleteThe National Board stipend is one of the few ways that Oklahoma has shown that teaching is a valued position. Acquiring a masters or a doctorate is merely a blip on the pay schedule compared to the monetary and time commitment put in by teachers. For a profession that is responsible for helping to shape future Oklahomans, Oklahoma teacher pay is a poor reflection of the responsibility involved.
Does this mean that the funds that teachers can expect to receive their funds that were to be issued this past January very soon? If so, this is great news! It was a bitter pill to not receive a stipend for my last year of commitment.
ReplyDeleteThe National Board stipend is one of the few ways that Oklahoma has shown that teaching is a valued position. Acquiring a masters or a doctorate is merely a blip on the pay schedule compared to the monetary and time commitment put in by teachers. For a profession that is responsible for helping to shape future Oklahomans, Oklahoma teacher pay is a poor reflection of the responsibility involved.