Walkout costing taxpayers thousands of dollars

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The taxpayers are paying thousands of dollars a day to fund the teacher walkout.

Capitol officials said it is costing $15,000 a day to employ extra workers for the teacher walkout.

They are having to bring in people to help with traffic flow, as well as extra janitorial services.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has 100 troopers at the Capitol every day.

The Department of Public Safety would not put a number on how much it is costing just yet. They plan to wait until after the walkout wraps up to determine a final number. Their costs include hotels, fuel and salaries.

"Our legislature certainly had a choice in funding education over the last 10 years and they didn’t and that’s cost our state much much more and continues to cost our state for economic development for the future," Alicia Priest, president of the Oklahoma Education Association, said.

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