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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
2nd Session of the 58th Legislature (2022)
HOUSE BILL 3564 By: McBride
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to teachers; amending 70 O.S. 2021,
Section 698.1, which r elates to teacher preparation
scholarships; creating the Oklahoma Future Teacher
Scholarship and Employment Incentive Program;
describing program purpose; providing program
eligibility criteria; including payment of specified
costs and fees; listing scholarship amounts for
participants; specifying maximum scho larship amount
per participant; modifying membership and duties of
certain committee; setting minimum years of teaching
for program; listing standards for program
participants; providing for incentive pa yments after
graduation and upon certain employ ment; providing
annual amount of incentive and including incentive
cap; requiring execution of certain agreements;
declaring certain participants ineligible for
program; authorizing Chancellor to contract with
certain entities; permitting reduction in payments i f
funds are insufficient; allowing fund s to be set
aside at certain time; author izing use of funds for
program administration ; providing an effective date;
and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 698.1, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 698.1 A. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
Education are authorized to shall establish and maintain an
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incentive scholarship program and teacher employment incentive
program, as funding is availa ble, to encourage the pre paration of
public prekindergarten through t welfth grade school teachers,
including minority teachers, in critical shortage areas for the
public schools at one or more of the Ok lahoma all state public or
private higher education institutions and incentivize employment as
public prekindergarten through t welfth grade teachers in the state
for at least five (5) years, to be known as the Oklahoma Future
Teacher Scholarship and Employ ment Incentive Program. Prospective
teachers, whether planning to pursue an undergraduate teacher
education program or to become qualified to teach after earning a
bachelor's degree in a critical shortage area, at an accredited
Oklahoma teacher preparation program shall be considered if they
have graduated from an Oklahoma high school with a grade point
average ranking them in the top fifteen percent (15%) of their
graduating class, meet the higher education admission standa rds, and
declare a major in an approved Oklahoma teacher preparation degree
program leading to a standard teaching certificate . To the extent
that funds are available, scholars hips of One Thousand Five Hund red
Dollars ($1,500.00) per year , renewable for up to three (3)
additional years for qualified students meeting satisfactory
academic progress standards in completing a teacher preparation
degree program leading to a standard teaching certificate, shall be
awarded to cover costs of tuition, general enrollment fees, other
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fees, books, materials, and services provided by the institution,
including room and board, in the following manner:
1. One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) per academic year for up to
three (3) academic years for full-time students who have earned less
than ninety (90) credit hours; and
2. Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) for the final
academic year for full-time students who have earned ninety (90) or
more credit hours. The maximum amount of scholarship funds awarded
as provided in this subsection to any qualified student shall not
exceed Five Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($ 5,500.00).
B. It is the intent of the Ok lahoma Legislature that the
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education create a committee
composed of educators, teacher educators from the participating
institutions, other professionals from the shortage area fields, and
representatives of the public sc hools and the State Department of
Education to recommend provide recommendations to the State Regents
the following:
1. Further criteria for the selection of participants;
2. Procedures for admission;
3. Procedures and instruments for assessing the effectiveness
of the program; and
4. Any other criteria or procedures deemed necessary by the
State Regents to improve effectiveness of the program .
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The committee shall prepare and deliver a report on the program
to the Legislature on or before July 1 of each year.
C. Each scholarship participant, prior to entry into the
program, shall have agreed to teach in the shortage areas in the an
Oklahoma public schools prekindergarten through twelfth grade school
of this state for a minimum of three (3) five (5) consecutive years
upon graduation and licensure as a teacher. Any scholarship
participant failing to maintain a 2 .5 grade point average, changing
to an inappropriate ineligible area of study, failing to meet
satisfactory academic progress standards, withdrawing or otherwise
leaving school, or fai ling to meet requirements for licensure and
certification to teach as established by law shall be subject to
disqualification from the progra m.
D. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education are
authorized to make employment incen tive payments pursuant to the
provisions of this section to program participants who are employed
as traditionally certified teachers in Oklahoma public
prekindergarten through twelfth grade schools following graduation .
Incentive payments may be awarded following each consecutive year of
service, up to five (5) years of service for scholarship recip ients
as provided in subsection A of this section, upon graduation from an
accredited Oklahoma teacher preparation degree program. The maximum
amount of employment incen tive payments for any qualified
participant shall be Four Thousand Dollars ( $4,000.00) per year for
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up to five (5) years, not to exceed a total of Twenty Thousand
Dollars ($20,000.00) per participant.
E. The Oklahoma Stat e Regents for Higher Education shall
require the execution of appropriate contracts with eligible program
participants. Participants failing to comply with the requirements
of this section or failing to provide current contact information
shall not be eligible for the employment incentive payments provided
for in this section. The Chancellor of the Oklahoma State Regent s
for Higher Education, with the approval of the State Regent s, may
contract with any other appropriate organization or unit of
government for the administration of the provisions of this section.
F. If sufficient funds are not available for employment
incentive payments to qualified participants during any fiscal year,
the Chancellor may make redu ctions in the payments made to qualified
participants.
G. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education may, at the
time an award is mad e on behalf of the Oklahoma Future Teacher
Scholarship and Employment Incentive Program, set aside funds for
the full commitment made to an eligible student.
H. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education may utilize
Oklahoma Future Teacher Scholarship and Employment Incentive Program
designated funds for administration of the program.
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2022.
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SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
declared to exist, by reason whereo f this act shall take effect and
be in full force from and after its pass age and approval.
58-2-8498 EK 01/19/22