Education

Teacher shortage? Not here

April 5, 2018

Brandon Dutcher

Did you know that one of Oklahoma’s largest public-school systems, though near the bottom in per-pupil funding, is at or near the top in teacher pay ($63,000 on average)? Its highest-paid teacher earns $106,324—reminding us that school choice is good for teachers, too. David Chaney, founder and superintendent of Epic Charter Schools, discussed these topics and more today at OCPA.

Even though I knew bullying and sexual harassment are big problems in Oklahoma, I was surprised to learn that nearly half of Epic’s students choose the school because of bullying and concerns about school safety. Enrollment continues to surge, which means that Epic is hiring teachers. Epic now has more than 5,000 teaching applications.

Whether or not there’s a shortage of teachers willing to teach in Oklahoma’s unionized, politicized, bureaucratic schools, it's good to know that other public schools aren’t having that problem.