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OKLAHOMA CITY 鈥� A $2,000 teacher salary increase advancing through the Legislature has raised concerns among school district leaders of whether state funding will support its total cost.

The Oklahoma House approved the teacher pay raise, outlined in , by a vote of 92-1 on Tuesday, more than a month after . The legislation, which returns to the Senate for final review, would add $2,000 to the state-mandated minimum salaries for Oklahoma teachers and certified school employees.

Although lawmakers budgeted $100 million for the pay raise, some district leaders said their schools likely will have to pay out of pocket to cover the full expense, especially if they already pay above the minimum salary schedule for teachers.

The $100 million allocation is part of a budgeted for public education.

House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said the extra money should be sufficient for districts to raise their teachers鈥� salaries, regardless of whether they pay at or above state minimums.

鈥淚f districts are on the formula and pay above the minimum now with existing funding, they can pay them $2,000 more with nearly a quarter billion in new public education funding, $100 million of which is specifically dedicated for teacher pay,鈥� Hilbert said in a statement.

Districts already paying above the state minimum wouldn鈥檛 be legally obligated to provide a full $2,000 increase. But, teachers in those districts still should push for a $2,000 raise, Hilbert and other legislative leaders have said.

The extra state funding coming to Midwest City-Del City Public Schools would cover just under 80%, or $232,000 short, of the cost to increase the district鈥檚 teacher salaries by $2,000, Superintendent Rick Cobb said.

Raising a teacher鈥檚 salary by $2,000 comes at a true cost of $2,500 when factoring in added teacher retirement expenses and higher payroll taxes, he said.

Although the district already pays well above the state minimum, Cobb said 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think our teachers are going to accept us not giving them a $2,000 raise when we go into negotiations.鈥�

鈥淚 know one of your questions is going to be about whether (lawmakers are) fully funding the raise, and in our case, they鈥檙e not,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, I think that needs to be part of the conversation, too, is that our teachers are going to expect a $2,000 raise. Our teachers are making less than the cost of living increase that inflation is bringing into their lives. So, without an infusion into the salary schedule, their buying power is less and less every year.鈥�

As district leaders put together a budget for the next fiscal year, Cobb said Mid-Del schools still are going to try to make a $2,000 raise work.

鈥淚鈥檓 not sure exactly how right now, but we鈥檙e going to try,鈥� he said.

The small northeastern Oklahoma district of Peggs pays at the state minimum but completely covers teachers鈥� retirement contributions, saving each educator $3,000 to $4,000, Superintendent John Cox said. Teachers in the rural district also 鈥渨ear many hats鈥� and are compensated for fulfilling multiple roles.

Cox, also a Republican candidate running for state superintendent, said he expects Peggs would have to pay a small amount out of pocket to cover the total cost of the $2,000 raise when considering retirement and fringe benefits.

The bigger challenge, he said, is affording the rising payroll while operational expenses, like bus diesel and maintenance, also increase year over year.

The state budget doesn鈥檛 raise funding for schools鈥� operational costs, even though lawmakers are in 2027-28.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a definite balancing act,鈥� Cox said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e required to pay the teacher pay raise. Then what do you do with operational costs and what do you forgo to be able to pay those teacher pay raises? What in the maintenance area and in the operational costs do you cut to be able to make those pay raises?鈥�

State lawmakers touted the pay increase as the latest of multiple steps in improving Oklahoma teacher salary levels. The Legislature last approved teacher raises in 2018, 2019 and 2023.

Oklahoma鈥檚 current average teacher salary is fourth among all bordering states and second in the region when factoring in cost of living, . The average starting salary for teachers in the state is still ranked toward the bottom of the region, even when considering cost of living, the agency reported.

The state鈥檚 largest teacher union, the Oklahoma Education Association, said it is 鈥済rateful to lawmakers for making another investment into competitive teacher pay.鈥�

鈥淓ven if districts already pay above the minimum, we hope that they will use the funding that will be provided by the state to give all teachers the full $2,000 raise,鈥� the organization said in a statement Wednesday. 鈥淭hey deserve it.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: [email protected].

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