We had a startling story the other day about a school teacher who quit a $38,020-a-year job in Tulsa to take a $57,670-a-year job in a suburban Dallas school.

With a starting minimum teacher's salary of $31,600 a year, it's not surprising that Oklahoma schools started the year with 500 teaching positions vacant.

Now consider this: Starting salary for an Oklahoma prison guard is $22,014 a year.

State Corrections Director Joe Allbaugh says that 36 percent of his employees haven't had a pay raise in 10 years and 37 percent are eligible for food stamps based on a family of four.

Oklahoma's funding...