Education

HB 1280 (2025) requires Oklahoma school districts to spend at least 50% of their annual budget on classroom instruction starting in 2025-2026. If a district falls below this threshold, it must increase instructional spending by 2% annually until reaching 50%, or face a written warning and, after four years of non-compliance, a permanent 2% annual teacher pay raise for each year missed. The bill defines "annual budget" to exclude bond sales, fundraisers, and non-educational grants, and "instructional expenditures" per federal standards. The bill failed to pass (36-57) on March 27, 2025, so it is not law.