Number one — we need to raise pay for our teachers and reduce administrative costs to put money back in classrooms.

This isn’t just about doing right by our teachers or giving opportunity to our kids. It’s about our future. If we want to grow our businesses and attract new ones, we must have the entrepreneurs and skilled workers to support them. We need to stop cutting higher education funding too, and invest in Oklahomans to build a more prosperous Oklahoma.

• • • • It’s time for our budget to reflect our priorities. Our teachers need more than a one-time pay raise; they need a series of pay raises to make us competitive nationally so we can attract the best teachers for our kids.

• • • • School funding doesn’t end with teacher pay. Our kids’ textbooks are being held together with duct tape. We need more teachers, smaller class sizes and administrative accountability.

• • • • Pre-K should be available to every student, at every school. Oklahoma’s children deserve a world-class education. That starts with Pre-K.