Tulsa School Board Approves Teacher Pay Raises

The Tulsa School Board confirms it approved teacher pay raises during last night's school board meeting. The board approved the increase after the district reached an agreement with the Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association.

TPS says the average raise is $2,084, and teachers will see the increase on their next paychecks. Teachers who were hired before July 1 of this year will see an increase of $1,200.

The TPS starting salary will now be $40,000 per year.

The TCTA vice president said the pay raises approved by the board make sure every teacher, no matter their experience, gets more money.

"And we are also honoring veteran teachers that are making between $50,000 and $60,000, and there is not one teacher that will not receive at least a $1,220 raise. Which was not guaranteed in the law. The law was not written the way it was last year."

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The money is coming from the state. The district is still going to have to come up with a way to slash $20 million from its budget for the next school year.

The school system released the following statement:

On Monday, Nov. 4, the Tulsa Board of Education approved a new collective bargaining agreement between the Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association and Tulsa Public Schools. The new agreement includes a $1,220 increase for all teachers hired before July 1, 2019 -- as incorporated in this year’s state budget -- and an average increase of $2,084 with pay-scale steps included. This guarantees our educators receive a starting salary of $40,000. We are grateful to the TCTA for their continued advocacy on behalf of Tulsa teachers and their partnership in our work to make Tulsa Public Schools a destination for excellence in teaching and learning. In other board action last night, the Board approved a pay increase of 1.5% for those employees in certified positions not included in the collective bargaining unit.