Okla. Legislature Discuss Pay Raises, Maternity Leave For Teachers

The House and Senate are having conversations behind closed doors to reach a compromise on an education package. Today in committee, House members made some big changes to the Senate’s education plan and gave some insight on where paid maternity leave for teachers stands this session.

The two bills have been a main priority for Senator Adam Pugh, and while they’re still in the works, the bills could look very different from how they were originally written.

“We've been very clear about what our priorities are,” said Sen. Adam Pugh (R-Edmond). “Trying to understand where we're each coming from and hoping that we can find a way forward.”

Senator Adam Pugh has been a champion for paid maternity leave for teachers this legislative session.

“We’re talking about a career field that is 76% female, and it’s getting younger. We know older teachers are retiring and we're having to recruit young people into the classroom,” said Sen. Pugh.

Co-author of the bill, Rep. Rhonda Baker of Yukon says it may not be over for the bill this session, but it still needs some work.

“The pushback I had received was- we're giving maternity leave to teachers, but we're not giving it to other workers like our state workers,” said Rep. Baker.

The bill is stalled in the House at this point, after it was laid over in committee last week.

“We are a very prolife state and we've got to make sure that whatever it is that we're doing- we are making sure that all families are taken care of,” said Rep. Baker. “The House values all working mothers, but we've got to get through the details to make sure we're supportive of as many women as possible.”

Another priority for both chambers this session has been teacher pay.

“There are two different pay plans right now- the senate's pay plan on average is about $5,300 per teacher but it is tiered based on experience,” said Sen. Pugh.

The bill was completely changed though in the House appropriations and budget committee today.

“We decided we wanted to go ahead and send back a bill we had sent over; this is the exact language of House bill 2162,” said Rep. Dick Lowe (R-Amber).

The bill is no longer a scaled teacher pay raise. The amendment just adds 10 years to the state's minimum salary schedule, creating a base pay for teachers who have been in the profession 26-35 years. The language was taken from HB2162 which wasn’t heard on the Senate side at all.

“I let Senator Lowe drop some language that the Senate didn't have into the bill,” said Rep. Mark McBride (R-Moore).

This was a big step taken by the House today, but negotiations will continue over the coming weeks to ensure the House and Senate can come to a compromise on an education plan.

“We want to make sure whatever goes through- all teachers will see something in their pocket,” said Rep. Baker.

Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat has been calling for these conversations to be held in public. He and Sen. Pugh say the governor agrees with public meetings, but they are continuing with private conversations at this point.

“We're continuing to have conversations with our house counterpart and the governor trying to find a solution,” said Treat.