The lesson of the Oklahoma Walkout: There is a limit to what can be won if your legislature is bought  and paid for by the oil and gas industry, whose highest priority is low taxes, and by the Koch brothers and the DeVos family, which want to privatize public schools.

#RememberInNovember.

Teachers must get out and vote for candidates who support public schools. If they can’t find a good candidate, they should run for office themselves.

Politico reports:

 

OKLAHOMA TEACHER STRIKE ROLLING TO AN END: The Oklahoma Education Association announced Thursday that its members will be returning to the classroom, bringing a nine-day teacher walkout in the state to its end.

– Not all teachers support the union’s decision, and it remains unclear how many will break with union leaders. The Oklahoma City American Federation of Teachers, which operates independently from OEA, said it will poll its members Friday on whether to continue the walkout. But in a statement late Thursday, union President Ed Allen said, “Truthfully, there’s no one left to negotiate with in the statehouse.”

– “We need to face reality,” OEA President Alicia Priest said. “Despite tens of thousands of people filing into the Capitol and spilling out onto the grounds of this Capitol for nine days, we have seen no significant legislative movement since last Friday.” Priest said that meetings with leaders of the Oklahoma Senate on Thursday yielded no signs that lawmakers would seek more revenue to boost funding for public education.

– “Our members are saying they are ready to go back to their classrooms,” Priest said, citing a union poll that found 70 percent of members were unsure that continuing the walkout would lead to more concessions from lawmakers. “Now it’s time to shift our focus,” Priest added.

– Teachers in Oklahoma sought a three-year school funding plan that would boost spending for public education by $200 million, and secure raises for teachers and staff to the tune of $740 million. In the end, lawmakers boosted education funding by roughly $400 million through a deal reached shortly before the walkout began. The legislation will give teachers a pay hike of about $6,000 per year.

– Gov. Mary Fallin said in a statement that through the spending increases, “elected officials have proven they are committed to school children, teachers and educators.” Fallin said she is “glad teachers who participated in the union strike will return to teaching their students. They’ve been out for two weeks, and it’s time for them to get back to school.”