Mike Gundy doesn't stick to sports, supports Oklahoma teacher strikes
There's a teacher strike going on in Oklahoma. After two decades of education spending cuts -- and following the lead of similar demonstrations by teachers in West Virginia and Kentucky -- scores of teachers in Oklahoma have walked off the job in order to force the state legislature to increase its investment in public education.
Oklahoma ranks 49th nationally in teacher salaries, and its per-student spending is nearly 30 percent below the national average, according to the Washington Post.
Credit: Associated Press
The unrest has been building for months but hit a fever pitch last week as teachers from across the state marched on the state capitol in Oklahoma.
The movement has hit some high-profile opposition.
"Teachers want more," Oklahoma governor Mary Fallin said last week. "But it's like kind of having a teenage kid that wants a better car."
“I voted for every teacher measure to fund them all last year," state representative Kevin McDugle said in a since-deleted Facebook Live video. "It took us a year and a half to pass it. And now, they come into this House, they want to act this way. I’m not voting for another stinking measure when they are acting the way they are acting. Our kids follow their example and this is the example that’s set. I understand the frustration, but this is not the way to go about it. You’re losing support of the people who supported you.”
The protests will continue into this week, and Gundy on Saturday took a step forward to support the teachers.
To be clear, Gundy isn't the only Oklahoma sports figure to support the teachers. Sooners defensive coordinator Mike Stoops did the same last week.
And so has Russell Westbrook.
Judging from the responses -- which is always a risky proposition, admittedly -- from Gundy's tweets, most Oklahomans supported Gundy's stance, but a vocal opposition exists.
Gundy surely knew he was going to catch heat for taking a political stance but, rather than aw-sucks-I'm-just-a-ball-coach his way around the most pressing issue in his home state, did what he thought was right anyway. From a guy who proudly rocks a mullet in the year 2018, we shouldn't expect anything else.
