Dive Brief:

• Oklahoma teachers will unite at the state's capitol at 10:30 a.m. Monday morning in protest of the state’s insufficient funding of public education. Funding was cut by almost $200 million after the recession of 2009, and teachers, who have some of the nation's lowest salaries, hope to restore funding to previous levels. 
• Per-pupil spending in the state is $3,032 — $234 less than the 2008-2009 school year — making Oklahoma 49th in the nation for spending on students, according to Steven Crawford, the executive director of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration. 
• Oklahoma teacher salaries also lag behind the rest of the nation. Out of the seven states in its region, Oklahoma has the lowest rates, with average teacher salaries at $43,846.  It’s been seven years since teachers have received a state-funded pay raise. 

Dive Insight:

Good for the Oklahoma teachers for gathering together and taking a stand. The state currently has about 40,000 more students than it did in 2009, and yet it is running on a budget $200 million less than it had been in 2009. The protests cover a range of issues that affect schools today: under-funding of student materials, overcrowding of classrooms, and lagging teacher salaries. If Oklahoma wants its students to one day compete with the rest of the world, the state is going to need to do more in terms of funding their education.