Education

signed · Oklahoma · House May 12, 2025

HB 1940: Charter schools; sponsorship; adding county to certain sponsor; effective date; emergency.

HB 1940 amends Oklahoma's charter school law to establish a new annual limit: the Statewide Charter School Board may sponsor no more than five new charter schools per year in counties with fewer than 500,000 residents. This directly affects the Statewide Charter School Board's authority and charter school expansion in smaller counties, while maintaining existing sponsorship rules for other areas. The rule applies to all new charter school applications approved after July 1, 2025, when the bill takes effect. The bill does not change sponsorship requirements for schools in larger counties or other sponsor types.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRestricts new charter school expansion in smaller counties by capping annual sponsorships at five, limiting educational access options for K-12 students.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Education

signed · Oklahoma · Senate May 5, 2025

SB 758: Schools; providing conditions under which virtual instruction may count toward certain required instructional hours or days.

SB 758 limits when Oklahoma public school districts and charter schools can count virtual instruction toward required annual instructional hours (1,080 hours or 180 days). Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, schools generally cannot count days when school is closed with virtual instruction toward these requirements. The bill allows counting up to two days (or 12 hours) per year only if the Superintendent of Public Instruction approves the school's virtual instruction plan. This change directly affects how districts report instructional time and must comply with state guidelines for virtual learning.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationRestricts virtual instruction from counting toward required hours, limiting school flexibility in meeting instructional requirements.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Education

passed · Oklahoma · House Apr 28, 2025

HB 1540: Appropriations; Oklahoma Workforce Education Partnership Revolving Fund; effective date; emergency.

HB 1540 creates the Oklahoma Workforce Education Partnership Revolving Fund within the State Treasury to support career and technology education programs. The fund, managed by the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education (ODCTE), will use state appropriations, gifts, and donations to expand career tech education based on critical occupation data. It operates as a reusable fund (replenished by incoming revenue) until July 1, 2030, with expenditures requiring state treasurer warrants. The bill directly affects ODCTE's ability to fund workforce training programs, aiming to align education with local job market needs.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates state fund for career tech education via appropriations, expanding essential workforce programs through government spending, directly advancing budget allocation for public services.90% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationCreates fund to expand career tech education programs, increasing funding and access for workforce training within education system.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentFunds career tech education programs to align with critical occupations, enhancing workforce development and employment opportunities through dedicated state funding.90% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyFunds career and technology education programs to develop workforce skills in tech fields, directly advancing technology sector workforce development.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Education

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passed · Oklahoma · House Apr 24, 2025

HB 1088: Schools; transfer students; allowing certain students to transfer to adjacent school district; effective date.

HB 1088 allows students in school districts that do not offer their required grade level to automatically transfer to an adjacent district without facing capacity limits. This applies only to one transfer per student, bypassing standard capacity rules that normally restrict transfers. Subsequent transfers would follow existing rules under the Education Open Transfer Act. The bill directly affects students whose home districts lack their grade level, particularly those seeking adjacent district enrollment.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationEnables student transfers to adjacent districts without capacity limits for grade-level access, directly expanding educational access for students in districts lacking required grade levels.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Education

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Mar 10, 2025

SB 554: Teachers; directing stipends, rather than salary increases, be provided to teachers with certain certificates. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 554 would require Oklahoma school districts to provide stipends (one-time payments) instead of regular salary increases to teachers holding specific certifications, such as out-of-state, international, or National Board for Professional Teaching Standards credentials. The bill prohibits these stipends from being counted toward future salary calculations or raises. It amends existing teacher certification laws to clarify that compensation for these certified teachers must follow this stipend structure rather than standard salary progression. This change directly affects teachers with the specified certifications who currently qualify for salary-based increases under Oklahoma law.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill mandates stipends (not salary increases) for certified teachers, preventing stipends from counting toward future raises, promoting fiscal responsibility in budget management.85% confidence ✗ EducationOpposes EducationBill replaces salary increases with one-time stipends for certified teachers, prohibiting stipends from counting toward future raises, reducing long-term compensation benefits.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Education

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died · Oklahoma · Senate Mar 4, 2025

SB 62: Schools; prohibiting school districts from making school employee payroll deductions for certain dues and contributions. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 62 prohibits Oklahoma school districts from making payroll deductions for professional organization dues or political contributions from school employees' paychecks. This directly affects teachers and school staff who previously could authorize such deductions through their employers. The bill amends Oklahoma law to remove the requirement that districts automatically process these deductions upon employee request, instead making such deductions prohibited. Key provisions include requiring districts to stop these deductions immediately upon written employee request and preventing advance payments for future dues. The bill does not change how employees pay dues directly or impact other payroll deductions.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationProhibits payroll deductions for teacher professional dues, restricting a benefit previously available to educators and reducing their ability to support professional organizations.95% confidence ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentProhibits payroll deductions for professional dues, restricting workers' ability to support unions and collective bargaining efforts via automatic payroll contributions.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Education

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