For too long, Oklahoma’s education system has suffered from poor leadership at the State Capitol. Until Oklahoma gets its fiscal house in order, we will continue to fall behind due to political gimmicks that fail to deliver long term solutions to best meet the needs we face in the classroom.

We are teachers committed to working with Kevin Stitt to deliver a Top Ten education system in Oklahoma. We support Kevin Stitt’s vision to deliver accountability and stability in the state’s total $22 billion budget as outlined at www.okturnaround.com. We have watched Oklahoma’s politicians promise various taxes as the silver bullet for funding education and been left without much to show for it. It’s time for transparency in how Oklahoma’s tax dollars are being spent.

We also support Kevin Stitt’s education priorities that will elevate our profession and demonstrate the leading role we play in building a brighter future for Oklahoma. Kevin Stitt was the only gubernatorial candidate who advocated for public education and competitive teacher salaries since day one, stating in October 2017: “If we want to recruit great teachers, we have to pay competitive salaries. If we want to attract and retain great jobs, we’ve got to have great schools.”

As Green Apple Teachers for Stitt, we are committed to working with Kevin Stitt to deliver a Top Ten education system by:

• Leveraging the state’s revenue surplus to fund new reforms and support programs that focus on recruiting, training, and retraining great Oklahoma teachers;
• Continuing to fund competitive pay for Oklahoma’s common education teachers in our six-state footprint;
• Creating flexibility with local ad valorem dollars so that our tax dollars can be used towards operational needs without being punished by the state funding formula; and
• Driving innovation and modernization in the public education system so that all of Oklahoma’s children have the opportunity to graduate college or career ready.