Oklahoma state senator proposes teacher pay raise measures

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A Republican state senator is proposing a package of legislation he says will raise the salaries of Oklahoma public school teachers by $10,000 a year without raising taxes.

Sen. David Holt of Bethany said Thursday that in spite of an estimated budget shortfall of about $1 billion next year, there is a "moral obligation" to address teacher pay raises during the legislative session that begins Feb. 1. Oklahoma teachers haven’t had a pay raise since 2008 and their salaries are more than $10,000 behind the national average.

Holt’s plan includes six measures calling for changes to state tax credits, exemptions and deductions, dedicated revenue from economic growth and reducing Oklahoma’s more than 500 school districts to 200.

A $10,000 raise for the state’s 41,000 teachers would cost about $400 million.