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The Political Scene | The New Yorker

A Teachers' Strike and a Democratic Movement in Oklahoma

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

The New Yorker

President, Barack, News, Politics, Wnyc, Obama, Lizza, Washington, Wickenden

4.33.9K Ratings

🗓️ 31 May 2018

⏱️ 24 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In February, teachers in West Virginia went on strike to protest low wages and underfunding of schools. Since then, teachers have gone on strike in Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, North Carolina and Oklahoma. New Yorker contributor and Oklahoman Rivka Galchen recently visited with the striking teachers in Oklahoma and joins Dorothy Wickenden to discuss how the teacher protest movement is contributing to grassroots political change across the country.

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Transcript

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This is the political scene, a weekly conversation with New Yorker writers and editors about politics.

1:18.2

It's Thursday, May 31st. I'm Dorothy Wickenden, executive editor of The New Yorker.

1:23.7

This past February, teachers in West Virginia organized one of the largest statewide strikes in recent history.

1:30.3

Since then, the Teachers' Walkout movement has spread to Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Oklahoma,

1:37.3

which has withstood some of the most severe budget cutting in the country.

1:42.3

In the past decade, the Republican-led state legislature has

1:46.3

slashed over a billion dollars from K through 12 education funding. More than 200 schools are

1:52.9

open only four days a week, and when teachers began planning the strike in March, the legislature

1:58.4

passed a 5% pay raise, but there was little extra funding

2:02.5

for students or schools, and in early April, teachers began a nine-day walkout that shut

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