Education

in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 192: State Aid; directing State Aid to be calculated based on the average daily membership of a district's first nine weeks beginning in certain school year; providing for transitional grants. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 192 changes how Oklahoma school districts calculate state funding by requiring the use of average daily enrollment from the first nine weeks of each school year, instead of previous methods that allowed districts to use higher enrollment averages. This directly affects all public school districts in Oklahoma, as their state aid payments will now be based on this earlier enrollment data. The bill also establishes transitional grants to help districts adjust to the new funding formula, with specific criteria tied to available funding. These changes aim to standardize funding calculations while updating related statutory references and reporting requirements.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationChanges funding calculation to lower enrollment average, potentially reducing state aid despite transitional grants.85% confidence

Sub-Topics School Funding

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 219: Schools; requiring certain schools to make menstrual products available in certain restrooms. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 219 requires all Oklahoma public school districts and charter schools to provide free tampons and sanitary napkins in restrooms designated for female use or single-occupancy facilities. The law mandates this availability at no cost to students, directly affecting schools and students who menstruate. It becomes effective July 1, 2025, and was declared an emergency to take immediate effect upon passage. The bill defines "menstrual products" specifically as tampons and sanitary napkins for menstrual cycle use.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates free menstrual products in school restrooms to ensure access for menstruating students, directly supporting educational access and well-being in K-12 settings.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates free menstrual products in schools, improving access to essential health products for students who menstruate, aligning with public health access goals.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Health

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 10, 2026

SB 1375: Curriculum requirements; requiring students beginning in certain school year to complete certain computer science unit to graduate. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 1375 requires Oklahoma public high school students (grades 8-12) to complete a specific computer science unit to earn a standard diploma, effective for the 2024-2025 school year. It replaces the current "two units of computer technology" graduation requirement with a more defined computer science curriculum, including programming, hardware, and business applications like spreadsheets or databases. This policy directly affects all Oklahoma public high school students seeking a standard diploma, updating existing graduation requirements under state education law. The bill repeals prior versions of the same curriculum section to implement this change.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates specific computer science curriculum for graduation, enhancing K-12 curriculum standards and student digital literacy skills.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates computer science curriculum for all Oklahoma high school students, advancing tech education and digital skills development.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum K-12 Education

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in committee · Oklahoma · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 2242: Higher education; Inspired to Teach Program; certain advanced degrees; effective date; emergency.

HB 2242 creates the "Inspired to Teach Program" to support future educators in Oklahoma. It provides scholarship funding covering tuition, fees, and living costs for undergraduate teacher education students (up to $5,500 total) and graduate students in school counseling, special education, or administration (up to $4,500 total), based on credit hours completed. Participants must agree to teach or work in Oklahoma public schools (pre-K-12) for five consecutive years after graduation and maintain academic standards. The program requires the State Regents to establish a committee to evaluate effectiveness and report annually to the Legislature.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationCreates scholarship program funding teacher education tuition/fees, requiring 5-year teaching commitment in OK public schools to support educator pipeline.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Higher Education Student Financial Aid Teachers

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in committee · Oklahoma · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 2928: Schools; Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program; eligibility for children with incarcerated parents; effective date.

HB 2928 expands Oklahoma's Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship Program to include students with disabilities who have at least one parent in prison, in addition to existing eligibility for students with disabilities. It also retroactively allows students previously denied scholarships due to lacking an IEP/ISP on October 1, 2009 (but meeting all other requirements) to qualify. The program continues to provide private school choice for eligible students, requiring prior public school attendance (with specific exemptions) and private school acceptance. School districts must inform parents about this option annually through existing special education notices.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands scholarship access for disabled students with incarcerated parents and retroactively includes previously denied students, enhancing educational access under the scholarship program.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Choice Special Education Student Financial Aid

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died · Oklahoma · House Feb 5, 2025

HB 1255: Schools; statewide system of student assessments; directing assessments to be administered to certain private school and homeschool students; effective date; emergency.

HB 1255 requires students attending accredited private schools or using the Parental Choice Tax Credit for homeschooling to take Oklahoma's standardized tests starting in the 2025-2026 school year. Taxpayers who claim the tax credit must repay it to the state if their child declines the required assessments. This expands existing public school testing requirements to cover these specific private and homeschool students. The law mandates testing at state-certified facilities during designated windows and ensures alignment with Oklahoma's academic standards.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands standardized testing requirements to private/homeschool students, strengthening statewide assessment accountability within education policy.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum School Choice Testing & Assessment

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died · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 23, 2026

SB 1391: Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit Act; requiring participating private schools to administer certain assessment of eligible students; establishing fee. Effective date.

SB 1391 modifies Oklahoma's Parental Choice Tax Credit Act to adjust household income limits for families using the program. It increases the income threshold for the highest credit tier from $150,000 to $225,000 annually (with a $6,000 credit), adds a new $250,000+ bracket (capping credits at $5,000), and maintains lower tiers for lower-income households. The bill affects families paying private school tuition who qualify for the tax credit, capping the credit at actual tuition costs regardless of income. It also requires participating private schools to administer certain assessments to students, updating prior requirements. These changes apply to tax years 2024 onward and fiscal years 2026 onward.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesExpands tax credit eligibility to higher income brackets ($225k→$250k+), providing larger tax breaks for wealthier families, reducing state revenue. Aligns with 'creates tax breaks primarily for wealthy'.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands tax credit eligibility for private school tuition, increasing educational access for higher-income families by raising income limits and adding new brackets.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Tax Credits Higher Education School Choice Testing & Assessment

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 587: Schools; requiring school districts to provide instruction in human growth and development to students in certain grades. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 587 requires Oklahoma public school districts to provide mandatory instruction in human growth and development for students in grades 9-12 starting with the 2025-2026 school year. The bill specifies that this instruction must include human biology related to pregnancy, fetal development inside the womb, a 3-minute high-definition ultrasound video showing early fetal organ development, and a computer-generated animation of fertilization and pregnancy stages. School districts may integrate this content into existing courses, and the law takes effect July 1, 2025. This bill directly affects all Oklahoma high school students in grades 9-12 and school districts statewide.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates specific curriculum content in human growth education for grades 9-12, directly enhancing required student programs per education topic description.95% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Mar 18, 2025

SB 705: Charter schools; renaming the Charter Schools Incentive Fund; directing transfer of certain remaining balance; modifying certain calculation. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 705 renames Oklahoma's "Charter Schools Incentive Fund" to the "Charter Schools Incentive and Closure Reimbursement Fund" (Section 3-144). It expands the fund's purpose to cover charter school startup costs, building renovations, and closure expenses, while adding new funding sources like payments from charter schools. The bill also modifies Section 3-142 to clarify that charter school sponsors (e.g., school districts) may charge only up to 3% of state aid for administrative services, and directs the Statewide Charter School Board to transfer remaining balances to the renamed fund. These changes directly affect charter schools, virtual charter schools, and their sponsors by altering funding calculations and reimbursement mechanisms.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands funding for charter school operations, infrastructure, and closures through renamed fund with new sources, directly advancing educational access and school funding.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Choice

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passed · Oklahoma · Senate May 7, 2026

SB 244: Higher education; establishing the Program of American Civic Thought and Leadership at the University of Oklahoma; making an appropriation. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 244 establishes the Program of American Civic Thought and Leadership at the University of Oklahoma (OU). It creates a new academic program focused on teaching American political principles, leadership, civic engagement, and foundational texts of U.S. history and government through courses for students. The program will hire faculty, develop new majors/minors, and offer courses including an upcoming requirement for all OU students to complete a civic knowledge course. It requires annual strategic plans and reports to state leadership, with initial courses launching in fall 2027. The program will operate independently on OU's Norman campus, funded by state appropriations and donations.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill explicitly makes an appropriation (funds) for a new academic program at OU, directly increasing state spending on higher education through budget allocation.90% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationEstablishes mandatory civic course, funds new program at OU, and expands curriculum in higher education.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations Higher Education

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