SB 1366 establishes Oklahoma's High Dosage Tutoring Program for K-8 students needing academic support in math or English language arts. The program requires schools to provide in-person tutoring (3 one-hour sessions weekly for 10-12 weeks per semester) and prioritizes districts designated for federal improvement under the Every Student Succeeds Act. Tutors earn bonuses based on student progress - $1,600 per cohort per semester and $1,000 per student achieving half a grade level of growth annually - with conditional participation if growth targets aren't met. The program is funded through the Teacher Empowerment Revolving Fund, mandates parental consent for student participation, and requires schools to report student assessment data to the State Department of Education.
SB 177 creates the "Morrill Act of 1890 Revolving Fund" under Oklahoma’s State Regents for Higher Education to provide stable, long-term funding for the state’s land-grant institutions established under the 1890 Morrill Act (like Langston University). It appropriates $418,986,272 from the General Revenue Fund for fiscal year 2026 to ensure equitable distribution of funds to these institutions without annual budgeting constraints. The fund operates as a continuing pool, allowing the Regents to manage and distribute resources directly to eligible institutions via state treasurer warrants. This bill directly affects Oklahoma’s 1890 land-grant institutions and takes effect July 1, 2025.
SB 186 creates a grant program to help teachers with temporary emergency or provisional teaching certificates obtain permanent certification. The Office of Educational Quality and Accountability will award up to 1,000 annual grants per year (first-come, first-served) to eligible teachers through their school districts. Grants cover costs for exam preparation, exam fees, and part of required professional education hours. The program is funded through a new revolving fund and takes effect July 1, 2025.
SB 1133 appropriates $100,000 from Oklahoma's General Revenue Fund to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The funds are intended to support the Regents' existing statutory duties in overseeing the state's public higher education system. This is a procedural funding measure with no new policies or program changes, declared an emergency to take immediate effect. It directly affects the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education by providing budgetary support for their current operations.
HB 1020 expands eligibility for Oklahoma's Higher Learning Access Program to include children of public school employees who have worked for at least five consecutive years. This specifically covers teachers, librarians, certified nurses, support staff, and correctional instructors with teaching certificates paid by public funds. The bill exempts these students from the standard financial need requirement, automatically qualifying them for tuition assistance. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education must verify the parent's employment status to implement this change.
SB 406 updates Oklahoma's Higher Learning Access Program by requiring designated school contact persons (like counselors) to annually evaluate students in grades 5-11 (or homeschooled students aged 13-16) based on specific eligibility criteria. These criteria include regular school attendance, no substance abuse or criminal activity, and agreement to mentor reviews. The bill also sets new income thresholds for financial need: parent income must not exceed $60,000 (2021-2022) or $60,000-$100,000 (depending on dependent children) for 2022-2023, with special provisions for adopted students and military/Social Security benefits. Students who fail to meet these terms lose eligibility for program awards.
SB 388 allows students enrolled in charter schools or virtual charter schools to participate in public school extracurricular activities, such as sports or clubs, if they meet residency requirements. It requires school associations to update their policies to include these students and amends Oklahoma’s Extracurricular Activities Accountability Act (70 O.S. 27-103) to reflect this change. The bill defines "resident school district" based on student residence and applies to all charter schools, including virtual ones, effective July 1, 2024. This policy change directly affects students in non-traditional schools seeking equal access to campus activities.
SB 413 requires Oklahoma schools to obtain written parental consent before students can participate in specific sexual education instruction. It defines "optimal sexual health education" to emphasize abstinence, heterosexual relationships, and traditional family structures while prohibiting teaching gender identity outside the binary concept or promoting non-heterosexual orientations as equal. Schools must adopt procedures for parental notification and consent, update website information about curriculum, and ban certain materials deemed "obscene" or harmful to minors. The bill directly affects students in Oklahoma public schools and their parents/guardians, altering how sexual education content is delivered and approved. It amends existing statutes to implement these requirements, effective immediately as an emergency measure.
SB 1201 extends paid maternity leave and adds explicit adoption leave for Oklahoma education employees. It amends statutes (70 O.S. §§ 6-104.1, 6-104.5, 6-104.6, and others) to require school districts to provide adoption leave comparable to maternity leave, extend the duration of paid maternity leave, and update the "Public School Paid Maternity Leave Revolving Fund" to cover adoption leave. The bill directly affects K-12 teachers and full-time school staff, ensuring they receive paid leave for childbirth, adoption, or related recovery periods. It also modifies a leave-sharing program to allow sick leave donations for adoption-related needs.
HB 2092 requires Oklahoma public, charter, and private schools meeting specific poverty thresholds to participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for school meals. Schools with at least 25% "identified students" (children in programs like SNAP, TANF, or homeless programs) must join CEP, which provides free meals to all students without individual applications. School districts must group schools to maximize eligibility, though schools already offering universal free meals are exempt. The law takes effect July 1, 2025, aligning Oklahoma with the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.
