SPARTANS ATTHE CAPITOL: LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
● Spartans at the Capitol Legislative Updates consist of strictly factual information, not to include information relative to support or opposition of legislation.The goal is to present the possible impact of legislation on public education, both positive and negative.
● “At a Glance” summary of education-related legislation being tracked by CCOSA this session.
● See here for the 2023 BPS + Bixby PLAC Legislative Goals!
Tips &Tools:
● Updated E-Mail Blocks
● Download the OK Legislature App! Apple Android
Coming Up
A full slate of floor sessions is expected again this week in both chambers.
It’s a great time to email your representative and senator share with them WHY a bold investment in public education is NEEDED and the IMPACT it would make for our students, teachers, and staff!
● April : Deadline for bills to be heard in opposite chamber
● May : Sine Die by p.m.
Supt.Walters&Gov.Stitt TheHouse TheSenate
Monday, / , Supt.RyanWalters was summoned to the House’s Committee on Appropriations and Budget after refusing a previous request to appear before a legislative committee to answer questions relative to the SDE’s budget priorities. The video of yesterday’s committee meeting can be viewed here.
On Wednesday, / , GovernorStitt vetoed Senate bills (unrelated to education) with the same veto message:
“Oklahomans elected me to advocate on their behalf and fight for the taxpayer. I take this responsibility seriously and so I cannot, in good faith, allow another year to go by without cutting taxes and reforming education, both of which we can absolutely afford with our $ . billion surplus and over $ billion in savings. Therefore, until the people of Oklahoma have a tax cut, until every teacher in the state gets the pay raise they deserve, until parents get a tax credit to send their child to the school of their choice, I am vetoing this unrelated policy and will continue to veto any and all legislation authored by Senators who have not stood with the people of Oklahoma and supported this plan."
The House shucked SB and inserted the teacher pay plan proposed by Gov. Stitt – this bill is tied to and only becomes law with the passage of HB and HB .
This bill passed and will be sent back to the Senate. In committee, the House also amended HB (overall ed funding – student fund and formula) and HB (Private income tax credits) to reflect Governor Stitt’s compromise education plan and passed those bills in conference committee.
Also passed, although in a greatly reduced state, was SB , by Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain. Originally a mandate for all libraries to “inventory” their materials and classify them according to age-appropriateness, the bill as amended Thursday would instruct the Oklahoma Department of Libraries to formulate “uniform procedures to be approved by the Legislature and adopted by school districts for the review and acquisition of collection materials.”
The bill calls for the proposed policies to be submitted to the Legislature next year.
The Senate passed on the floor five House bills with new language reflecting the Senate's new education plan.
Two of the most important bills include HB (teacher pay raise) and HB (parent choice tax credit). It is very important to note that these two bills are not linked, or tethered, to any other bills.
HB that dealt with part of the Reading Sufficiency Act allocation being spent on a Literacy Instructional Team, now is replaced with Pugh’s minimum salary increases from $ , -$ , . It appropriates $ million from the General Revenue Fund for the financial support of public schools to provide a minimum salary increase to teachers in the following amounts:
● $ , increase for years -
● $ , increase for years -
● $ , increase for years -
● $ , increase for years -
● $ , increase for years -
The measure additionally provides for a one-time $ , . stipend for certified personnel, and support personnel at public school districts and CareerTech instructional employees.
RECENT HAPPENINGS
BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS: And then there were three…
Voucher “Tax Credit” Details, Other Bills of Note, & Advocacy
TheVoucher“TaxCredit”
HB creates the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit Act. For private school tuition and fees, the measure creates an income tax credit on a sliding scale with income caps based on adjusted gross income (AGI) of the eligible student’s household for the second preceding tax year for qualified expenses related to private school tuition and fees equal to the following:
● $ , credit: less than $ , AGI
● $ , credit: more than $ , but less than $ , AGI
● $ , credit: more than $ , but less than $ , AGI
● $ , credit: more than $ , but less than $ , AGI
● $ , credit: more than $ , AGI
The amount of the tax credit shall be equal to the private school tuition and fees or the maximum credit allowed according to the AGI of the eligible student’s household, whichever is less.
The bill also establishes a $ , . per-student income tax credit for qualified expenses related to homeschooling.
HB also caps the amount of total credits that may be claimed for private school tuition and fees:
● : $ million
● : $ million
● and subsequent tax years: $ million
OtherHighlights:
Three other bills of interest that were changed in the Senate include:
● HB that dealt with intra-district transfers, now reimburses teachers for certification tests and mentor teacher stipends.
● HB that dealt with attendance policies for virtual charter schools, now provides the maternity leave for teachers language.
● HB that dealt with a Teacher Certification Pathways Pilot, now establishes a pilot program for a literacy instructional team funded with a $ million allocation.
Advocacy:Whatcanwedo?
Nowisthetimeforyoutocontinuecommunicatingwithyour legislators. They want to hear --- and need to hear--- directly from you during these final negotiations on the education funding plan. Talkwith themabouttherealneedsforanimpactfulinvestmentthatincludes
BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS:Thoughts from Supt. Miller
The district has had had several conversations related to funding of common education over the past few months with each of our elected officials. We recognize state leaders are still working to find a compromise of the level and type of investments for our public schools in Oklahoma. This investment in our teachers and schools is greatly needed, and appreciated.
Thedistrictplanstosharewithourrepresentativesandsenatorsthat:
● It is extremely important for these additionalinvestmentsineducationtobedistributedthroughOklahoma’s nationally-recognizededucationfundingformula. The only appropriate way for distribution of funds in our state to occur is through this formula, which adjusts for the needs of each community and student including students with special needs and students whose families are economically disadvantaged.
● Distributionoutsideoftheformula (particularly if a cap is included, which would harm students in the largest districts in the state, including Bixby) wouldnotbefairandwouldsetaprecariousprecedentforfuturefunding. Based on the House and Governor's proposal, nearly every district in the state would receive $ per student. Districts in the Tulsa area including Bixby, TPS, Broken Arrow, Union, Jenks, Owasso, and Sand Springs, would receive just a fraction of that (~$ per child for Bixby).
● It simply does not make sense that our neighboring district of Glenpool with , students (compared to Bixby’s , ) would receive the same amount of new funding that Bixby would receive with over , additional students. We recognize that promises have been made to rural legislators to obtain their support for this funding package. So, rather than redistributing these funds by removing the cap,wewouldsuggestaddingfunds(approx$ M)totheplansothatall studentsarefundingequitablyinalldistrictsinOklahoma- rural, suburban, and urban.
● Bixbyisalsoencouragedtoseethelargerpayraises ($ , - $ , ) included in the current Senate plan because they will help with retention of teachers, particularly those educators who have invested a significant amount of their life's work to working with children.
● Finally, while it seems certain that some type of private school tax credits will be passed this session,westronglybelievethere needstobeanincomecapforafamilytoaccessthesetaxdollars. To allow millionaires to receive tax dollars back from the general fund to send their children to private schools is not a meaningful investment in Oklahoma's future. It will not improve educational outcomes for our students nor create the type of innovation or competition that some proponents suggest.
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING SUMMARY
The Oklahoma State Board of Education met Thursday, April th. Many questions surround the three areas below which were discussed including action on one item:
Diversity,Equity,andInclusion(DEI)Report-BoardActionItem
● A new report is required for district expenditures on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) dueJune , with the possibility of an extension upon request. You can read more here: specialreport.
TeacherSigningBonuses
● A program for awarding TeacherSigningBonuses was announced by Superintendent Walters. You can read the letter that explains the program and was sent to districts here. Some key points include:
● The bonuses are available to only PK - rd grade teachers and Special Ed teachers.
● Thebonusisforoneyearonly(FY ) and only for new teachers, out-of-state teachers, teachers returning to the classroom, and emergency certified teachers who obtain a non-emergency teaching certificate. If emergency certified teachers obtain a non-emergency teaching certification to teach in grades PK- or Special Education prior to the - school year and meet other program requirements, they will be eligible for the signing bonus. They would be considered newly certified teachers.
● Teachers must commit to teaching five years in an Oklahoma school.
● Teachers can apply through thislink on the OSDE webpage.
TeacherEmpowermentProgram
● HB ( ) created the Teacher Empowerment Program.
● There are new teacher certification designations being created--- advanced, lead, and master.
● Districts can nominate and approve up to % of their eligible teachers.
● This is a state-matching program; districts must pay at least / of the salary increase.
● Teachers can earn a minimum of $ , from their local district, with a maximum of $ , in annual incentive salary, depending on the designation level and fundingavailability.
● Teachers may receive the corresponding State match, not to exceed $ , , to the district allotment, giventhatthereisavailablefunding remaining,
● District applications for the Teacher Empowerment Program are made through the State GMS application system in the teacher single-sign-on (SSO) after designations have been built and approved by the district board.
● This program is to be funded through any monies collected in the Oklahoma Education Lottery Commission in excess of $ million. To date, the monies collected have never exceeded $ million, but we understand that there has been a projection of a $ million excess in FY . The program availability is contingent upon funding availability.
Bixby Public Schools has developed a 5-year Strategic Plan with the input of ALL stakeholders.
The mission: “Ignite the Potential of Every Student”
This plan cannot fully succeed without the ACTION of elected officials. If implemented, these legislative goals will ensure BPS is a place where ALL learners believe in their power to LEARN, EXCEL, and OWN their future!
BIXBY PUBLIC SCHOOLS & BIXBY PLAC 2023 Legislative Goals
Funding & Revenue Streams:
● Protect existing revenue
● Increase per-pupil funding to be regionally competitive
● Formulate a sustainable, long-term plan schools can count on
Graduation Requirements:
● Remove “shackles” (such as foreign language requirement) to open up pathways for kids
VibrantTeaching & Learning
Culture of Innovation
● Allow greater autonomy at the local district level relative to graduation pathways
Instructional Investment:
● Protect instructional time by not supporting ANY increased testing
● Limit any and all additional requirements/mandates and FUND them if passed
Vouchers, ESA’s, &Tax Credit Scholarships:
● JUST SAY NO
● Public $$ = Public Schools
● Do not decrease the “pot” from which all state agencies are funded
● Accountability, transparency, and reporting for OSF
Teacher Pipeline & Retention:
● 50k starting pay for ALL teachers
● Approximate cost at BPS: $3.4M
ExemplaryTeachers & Staff
Investment into the State Formula allowing the district to:
● Increase salary scales for support staff
● Lower class sizes across all grade levels (where capacity allows)
● Added programming for students
Safe &Welcoming Schools
Family & Community Engagement
Mental Health,Trauma Support, Community Education Programs:
● Increased funding for added counselors and/or on site social workers
● Local control with increased funding allowing districts to meet individual student needs
● Expand opportunities for Community Education and Family Engagement
● We know our students, we recognize their needs, provide us the resources to serve them
Scan here for the complete 2021-2025 BPS Strategic Plan:
