Mar 30, 2018

The red-state teacher rebellions are spreading

Axios

"A teacher rebellion that started in the hills of West Virginia spread like a prairie fire to Oklahoma this week and now threatens to reach the desert in Arizona," AP's Sean Murphy reports from Oklahoma City.

Why it matters: "Many GOP-led states are feeling the pushback after years of tax cuts that have slashed funding for core government services."

  • "In the deep red state of Oklahoma, the Republican-led Legislature approved money for teacher raises and more school funding, even [reversing a tax cut and] hiking taxes on the vaunted oil and gas industry to do it."
  • "Oklahoma teachers were inspired by West Virginia, another red state where a 9-day strike led to 5-percent teacher raises."
  • "Now, teachers in Arizona thronged their GOP-run Capitol this week, demanding a 20 percent teacher pay hike."

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