Education
Brandon Dutcher | April 5, 2018
Teacher shortage? Not here
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.
Brandon Dutcher
Senior Vice President
Brandon Dutcher is OCPA’s senior vice president. Originally an OCPA board member, he joined the staff in 1995. Dutcher received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Oklahoma. He received a master’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in public policy from Regent University. Dutcher is listed in the Heritage Foundation Guide to Public Policy Experts, and is editor of the book Oklahoma Policy Blueprint, which was praised by Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman as “thorough, well-informed, and highly sophisticated.” His award-winning articles have appeared in Investor’s Business Daily, WORLD magazine, Forbes.com, Mises.org, The Oklahoman, the Tulsa World, and 200 newspapers throughout Oklahoma and the U.S. He and his wife, Susie, have six children and live in Edmond.