NATION IN BRIEF : OKLAHOMA : Tax Bill Decision Ends School Strike

State lawmakers broke a deadlock on school financing that would raise teachers’ salaries, ending a strike that had idled classes for more than 300,000 students across the state this week. As striking teachers crowded the halls of the Capitol in Oklahoma City, senators approved an emergency clause on a $230-million education reform and tax bill. The emergency clause allows the bill to become law as soon as it is signed. The bill goes to Gov. Henry Bellmon, who is expected to sign it. The measure calls for raising teachers’ minimum salaries by $1,500 a year for four years. Oklahoma teachers, who earn an average of $22,000 a year, rank 48th in the nation in pay. The national average is $29,648.