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Local teachers bussed to state Capitol to join the rally on day three of walkout

Posted at 1:32 PM, Apr 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-04 18:27:22-04

TULSA -- It's day three of the statewide teacher walkout, and many Green Country educators have joined in the rally at the state Capitol.

For the third day in a row, Tulsa and Jenks Public Schools sent teachers on school, charter and activity buses toward Oklahoma City.

Some teachers have been making the trip every day; for others, it's their first time.

They all have one goal in common - to demand more funding for public education from state lawmakers. 

"We stood yesterday for two hours in the line that wasn't horribly long just to get into the building to see our representative," says Kathy Feist, a special education elementary teacher in Jenks.

Feist has been on the bus ride to the state capitol along her fellow teachers since day one of the rally.

She's been teaching for nearly 20 years in Oklahoma and says she sees a huge problem in public education.

"I remember a time when there was 20, 21 kids in a classroom and now elementary will have 29," says Feist.

The Jenks Teachers Classroom Association (JTCA) says the trips to and from the capitol are being paid by the teachers and some community members.

"We're in it for the long haul. I think we have buses for tomorrow, and we'll be doing things locally on Friday since the legislature is not in session," says Blake Connelly, part of the leadership team at JTCA.

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