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Education Cuts Prompt Revolt, Despair in Oklahoma
Source: Associated Press
Education Cuts Prompt Revolt, Despair in Oklahoma
By JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
TULSA, Okla. — May 5, 2016, 1:13 PM ET
Oklahoma is accustomed to being at the back of the class in funding for public education: It ranks 48th among the 50 states plus the District of Columbia in teacher pay and 49th in spending per student.
But even many long-suffering Oklahoma educators and parents are revolting over the latest round of proposed cuts amid the state's worst-ever budget crisis.
A crash in the oil and natural gas industry, the state's economic lifeblood, reduced tax revenue. At the same time, Republicans, who hold every elected statewide office, charged ahead with income tax cuts that drain another $135 million in revenue each year.
"We cut taxes — that's great, but at whose expense right now? It's at the expense of my boys," said single mother Angela Little, whose twin sons Cannon and Boston are fourth graders at West Field Elementary in Edmond.
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By JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
TULSA, Okla. — May 5, 2016, 1:13 PM ET
Oklahoma is accustomed to being at the back of the class in funding for public education: It ranks 48th among the 50 states plus the District of Columbia in teacher pay and 49th in spending per student.
But even many long-suffering Oklahoma educators and parents are revolting over the latest round of proposed cuts amid the state's worst-ever budget crisis.
A crash in the oil and natural gas industry, the state's economic lifeblood, reduced tax revenue. At the same time, Republicans, who hold every elected statewide office, charged ahead with income tax cuts that drain another $135 million in revenue each year.
"We cut taxes — that's great, but at whose expense right now? It's at the expense of my boys," said single mother Angela Little, whose twin sons Cannon and Boston are fourth graders at West Field Elementary in Edmond.
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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/education-cuts-prompt-revolt-despair-oklahoma-38901011