Higher education; creating the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy; providing eligibility. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 7 creates the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy, which provides tuition and mandatory fee assistance to students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in approved teacher preparation programs. To qualify, students must enroll in Oklahoma’s public higher education system, apply through the State Regents, and sign an agreement to teach for one school year in a public school for each year of assistance received. The assistance covers tuition and required fees for completing a degree in a critical shortage subject area (identified annually by the State Department of Education), with a $10 million annual funding cap. Participants must teach in a shortage subject area for the duration of the assistance period, or repay the funds with possible hardship waivers. The program directly affects prospective teachers, Oklahoma public schools facing staffing shortages, and participating higher education institutions.