Education

died · Oklahoma · House Feb 5, 2025

HB 1946: Schools; teacher contracts; contracts less than one year prohibited; effective date; emergency.

HB 1946 prohibits Oklahoma school districts from offering teaching contracts shorter than one school year to certified teachers, except when a teacher is hired after the school year has begun. This applies to all standard teaching positions requiring state certification, ensuring minimum annual employment terms. The law prevents districts from using short-term contracts to avoid long-term obligations, requiring contracts to cover the full school year unless hired mid-year. Exceptions only apply if a teacher is hired after the school year starts, in which case the contract extends to the end of that school year.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationProhibits short-term teacher contracts to ensure stable annual employment, protecting educators from unstable work conditions and reinforcing teacher retention in K-12 schools.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Teachers

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 285: Income tax; providing tax credit for contributions to certain higher education institution foundations. Effective date.

SB 285 creates a tax credit for Oklahoma taxpayers who contribute to eligible higher education institution foundations. It offers a 50% credit on contributions (up to $1,000 for single individuals, $2,000 for married couples, or $100,000 for businesses) and a 75% credit for those who commit to a second-year contribution. Foundations must submit annual audited financial reports to the Oklahoma Tax Commission and publicly share program outcomes. This policy directly affects Oklahoma taxpayers making qualifying donations and the higher education foundations receiving contributions.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates tax credit reducing taxpayer liability for education donations, aligning with tax relief indicators for public service funding.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationCreates tax credit for higher ed foundation donations, incentivizing private funding to boost resources for Oklahoma's higher education institutions.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Income Tax Tax Credits

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in committee · Oklahoma · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 1428: Schools; Building Equalization for K-8 Student Transfers Revolving Fund; revenue; limitations; uses of the fund; expenditures subject to warrants; effective date; emergency.

HB 1428 creates a $10 million revolving fund called the "Building Equalization for K-8 Student Transfers Revolving Fund" (BEST Fund) to support school districts that receive K-8 students from other districts. The fund can be used for specific facility expenses like building construction, repairs, equipment purchases, utility costs, security systems, and school buses. Districts must use the funds only for these approved purposes, and expenditures require state approval through warrants. The fund is ongoing (not limited to fiscal years) and takes effect July 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates $10M revolving fund for school facility expenses, increasing state budget allocation for public infrastructure maintenance and construction.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationCreates $10M fund for school facility upgrades (construction, repairs, buses) to support districts receiving K-8 students, directly advancing infrastructure funding.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Choice School Funding

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 24, 2025

SB 240: School funding; modifying calculation of State Aid; increasing percentage of certain funds to be retained. Effective date.

SB 240 modifies Oklahoma's school funding formula by increasing the percentage of state education funds retained for midyear adjustments from 1.5% to 4%. It updates how State Aid is calculated using actual tax collections, adjusted assessed valuation, and weighted average daily membership (ADM) from the previous year. The bill affects all Oklahoma public school districts by changing their allocation method and removing outdated provisions related to tax calculations and reporting requirements. These changes aim to improve the accuracy of funding distributions while streamlining administrative processes.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIncreases state education funds retention from 1.5% to 4% for midyear adjustments, ensuring stable school funding allocation via updated tax-based calculations.85% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationIncreases state education funds retention from 1.5% to 4%, enhancing school funding stability and allocation accuracy for public districts.90% confidence

Sub-Topics School Funding

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 798: State Board of Education; authorizing certain action regarding licensure. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 798 modifies Oklahoma's teacher licensure rules by restricting when the State Board of Education can revoke or suspend teaching certificates. It requires the Board to provide at least 10 days' notice to both the educator and their school district before initiating revocation proceedings, and prohibits "summary" actions except in emergencies. Certificates may only be revoked for specific reasons: serious misconduct (like child abuse), violation of law, moral turpitude, incompetence, or neglect of duty. The bill also establishes a dedicated "Teachers’ Certification Fund" for licensure administration, with unspent balances over $10,000 transferred to the state general fund. These changes directly affect licensed educators and school districts by altering the process for license enforcement.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationAdds due process for teachers by requiring notice and limiting license revocation to specific causes, strengthening educator protections.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Teachers

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 7: 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 for students pursuing bachelor's degrees in approved teacher preparation programs. To qualify, students must enroll in Oklahoma's public higher education system, agree to teach in a critical shortage subject area (identified annually by the State Department of Education), and commit to teach one school year for each academic year of assistance received. The program covers tuition/fees up to $10 million annually, prioritizes students who exhaust other financial aid first, and requires repayment if participants fail to teach in qualifying roles. This directly affects Oklahoma students in teacher preparation programs and public schools facing staffing shortages in identified critical subject areas.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationProvides tuition assistance for teacher training in shortage areas, directly funding educator recruitment to strengthen K-12 staffing and address critical shortages.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Higher Education Student Financial Aid Teachers

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signed · Oklahoma · House May 7, 2025

HB 1995: Crimes and punishments; definitions of sex crimes; designating school resource officers as employees of a school system; emergency.

HB 1995 expands Oklahoma's definition of rape to include sexual acts between students aged 16-19 (while under school custody) and school employees (including resource officers) who are 18 or older. It explicitly designates school resource officers as school employees for these provisions and adds similar protections for foster children under 19 and secondary school students concurrently enrolled in higher education with staff. The law specifies that such acts are rape under Section 1111, with penalties including minimum 3-year prison terms (25 years for victims under 12). It also updates related provisions in Section 1123 regarding lewd acts with children under 16.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeExpands rape definition to protect minors from school staff, strengthening legal accountability and victim protections in criminal justice context.92% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill enhances student safety by defining staff-student sexual acts as rape and designating resource officers as school employees, protecting educational environments.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Corrections K-12 Education

passed · Oklahoma · House Apr 28, 2025

HB 2017: Bullying; aiding suicide; crimes and punishments; prohibiting certain communications through an online platform; schools; modifying provisions of the School Safety and Bullying Prevention Act; effective date.

HB 2017 updates Oklahoma's anti-bullying and online harassment laws to better protect students. It adds "aiding suicide" as a criminal offense (Section 1) and expands definitions of electronic harassment to include threatening online communications directed at specific individuals (Section 2), with misdemeanor penalties for first offenses and felony for repeat violations. The bill also modifies school safety policies under the School Safety and Bullying Prevention Act (Section 3), requiring schools to update anti-bullying policies annually, report incidents to parents within 24 hours, and prohibit retaliation against staff who report incidents. These changes directly affect students, schools, and online platforms by strengthening legal consequences for targeted online harassment and improving school response protocols.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeAdds criminal penalties for aiding suicide and online harassment, strengthening criminal justice enforcement in school safety context.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill strengthens school safety policies under Bullying Prevention Act, adding protections against online harassment and aiding suicide to protect students, directly advancing educational environment safety.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Safety

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passed · Oklahoma · Senate May 1, 2025

SB 409: School year; requiring school to be in session for an additional day if certain appropriated amount is greater than the amount appropriated for the prior fiscal year. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 409 would require Oklahoma public school districts to add one additional day of classroom instruction starting July 1, 2025, if the state allocates at least $25 million more in funding for public schools than the previous fiscal year. This provision directly affects all Oklahoma public school districts by mandating an extra school day when specific state budget increases are met. The bill establishes a clear funding trigger ($25 million greater than prior year) as the mechanism for the requirement, with no changes to existing minimum instructional time standards (180 days or 1,080 hours). It is designed to link state education funding increases directly to expanded instructional time for students. The bill was introduced but failed passage in April 2025 (22-63 vote).

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill mandates an extra school day when state funding increases by $25M, directly linking increased funding to expanded instructional time, enhancing educational access and student learning opportunities.90% confidence

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passed both · Oklahoma · Senate May 14, 2026

SB 514: Schools; student eligibility; virtual charter school students; Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) activities; policies. Effective date.

SB 514 expands Oklahoma's statewide alternative education system to explicitly include charter schools and virtual charter schools that are designated by the State Department of Education as offering alternative education programs. It requires school districts serving grades 7-12 to provide alternative education programs meeting specific standards (like smaller class sizes, certified teachers, and individualized plans) and allows districts to use full-time virtual or blended instruction. Designated charter and virtual charter schools must follow the same performance standards and attendance policies as district programs, while funding is based on student enrollment with 15% reserved for cooperative agreements between districts. The bill directly affects school districts, designated charter/virtual schools, and students at risk of not completing high school.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands alternative education access by mandating inclusion of charter/virtual schools and requiring quality standards like certified teachers and individualized plans.90% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education School Choice

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