Update on education reform: Governor and House vs. the Oklahoma Senate

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) — There's an update on the education standstill between the House of Representatives and Senate.

Wednesday's House Floor session started about an hour late.

Republicans caucused and ultimately decided in the fight over education reform, they are aligning themselves with the Governor.

Rep. Rhonda Baker, (R)-Yukon, stood before her colleagues and introduced a Senate bill about family assistance that was gutted, and filled with language for a teacher pay raise.

“Our Governor has stood up and has talked openly about his plan for teachers. The House has been very steadfast and we’ve had lots of discussions and debates on this House Floor about what we’re going to do to make sure salary increases are a priority for our teachers this year," Rep. Baker said.

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The bill is a $2,000-$5,000 pay bump based on experience, also supported by the Governor.

Here's the breakdown:

• $2,000 increase for teachers with 0-4 years of experience
• $3,000 increase for teachers with 5-9 years of experience
• $4,000 increase for teachers with 10-14 years of experience
• $5,000 increase for teachers with 15+ years of experience

The bill doesn't stand alone. It has to be enacted with tax credits for private school and homeschool families as well, a point of contention for Rep. John Waldron.

“We have a bill that’s been tied chain-gang style to a measure that will likely give affluent families a big healthy voucher tax credit," Rep. Waldron said. "So The price, Mr. Speaker of doing something even a little bit for teachers is we must do much more for the rich and the wealthy.”

In debate, many Democrats pointed out that while they are on board with a teacher pay raise, they are against the strings attached to this specific legislation.

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“They deserve the respect to have a pay raise that is not tied to a voucher scheme," Rep. Trish Ranson, (D)-Stillwater said. "They deserve a flat-out clean teacher pay raise.”

Republicans, on the other hand, said the around $225M that strictly would go towards teacher pay accomplishes their goal.

“There are a lot of teachers that we are trying to help and we will continue to do so," Rep. Baker said.

The President Pro Tem of the Senate sent a statement to FOX25 saying:

We have already communicated to the House and Governor that this isn't going to pass in the Senate. They are playing games and giving false hope.