An Act
ENROLLED HOUSE
BILL NO. 3564 By: McBride, Fugate, Baker,
Phillips, Nollan, Conley,
Waldron, Stark, and
Provenzano of the House
and
Pemberton and Stephens of
the Senate
An Act relating to teachers; amending 70 O.S. 2021,
Section 698.1, which r elates to teacher preparation
scholarships; describing program purpose; creating
the Oklahoma Future Teacher Scholarship and
Employment Incentive Program; providing program
eligibility criteria ; including payment of specified
costs and fees; listing schola rship amounts for
participants; specifying maximum scholarship 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 payments after
graduation and upon certain employment; providing
annual amount of incentive and including incentive
cap; requiring execution of certain agreements;
declaring certain participant s ineligible for
program; authorizing Chancellor to contract wi th
certain entities; permitting re duction in payments if
funds are insufficient; allowing funds to be set
aside at certain time; authorizing use of funds for
program administration; providing a n effective date;
and declaring an emergency.
SUBJECT: Teachers
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLA HOMA: ENR. H. B. NO. 3564 Page 2
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
incentive scholarship program and teacher employment incentive
program, as funding is available, to encourage the pre paration of
public school teachers for prekindergarten throu gh twelfth grade,
including minority teachers, in critical shortage areas for the
public schools at one or more of the Ok lahoma all state public
higher education institutions or private higher education
institutions accredited pursuant to Section 4103 of this title and
incentivize employment as public teachers for prekindergarten
through twelfth grade 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 Oklaho ma teacher preparation program shall be
considered if they have graduated from an Oklahoma high school with
a grade point average ranking them in the to p fifteen percent (15%)
of their graduating class, meet the higher education admission
standards, and declare a major in an approved Oklahoma teacher
preparation degree program leading to a standard teaching
certificate. To the extent that funds are avail able, scholarships
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 fees, books, materials, and services provided
by the institution, including ro om and board, in the following
manner:
1. One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) per academic year for up to
three (3) academic yea rs for full-time students who have earned less
than ninety (90) credit hours; and
2. Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) for the final
academic year for full-time students who have earned ninety (90) or
more credit hours.
ENR. H. B. NO. 3564 Page 3
The maximum amount of scholarship funds awarded as provided in this
subsection to any qualified student shall not exceed Five Thousand
Five Hundred Dollars ($ 5,500.00).
B. It is the intent of the Oklahoma 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 schools and the State Department of
Education to recommend provide recommendations to the State Regents
the following:
1. Further criteria for the selection of participan ts;
2. Procedures for admission;
3. Procedures and instruments for assessing the effectiveness
of the program; and
4. Any other criteria or procedures deemed neces sary by the
State Regents to improve effectiveness of the program .
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 progr ess standards, withdrawing or otherwise
leaving school, or failing to meet requirements for licensure and
certification to teach as established by law shall be subject to
disqualification from the program.
D. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Educati on 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 fo llowing each consecutive year of
satisfactory service as documented by the employing school district,
up to five (5) years of service for scholarship recip ients as ENR. H. B. NO. 3564 Page 4
provided in subsection A of this section, upon graduation from an
accredited Oklahoma teacher preparation degree program. The maximum
amount of employment incentive payments for any qualified
participant shall be Four Thousand Dollars ( $4,000.00) per year for
up to five (5) years, not to exceed a total of Twenty Thousand
Dollars ($20,000.00) per participant.
E. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Edu cation 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 c ontact 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 Reg ents, 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 Incenti ve Program
designated funds for administration of the program.
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2022.
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 whereof this act shall take effect and
be in full force from and after it s passage and approval.
ENR. H. B. NO. 3564 Page 5
Passed the House of Representatives the 19th day of May, 2022.
Presiding Officer of the House
of Representatives
Passed the Senate the 20th day of May, 2022.
Presiding Officer of the Senate
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Received by the Office of the Governor this ____________________
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
By: _________________________________
Approved by the Governor of the State of Oklahoma this _____ ____
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
_________________________________
Governor of the State of Oklahoma
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE
Received by the Office o f the Secretary of State this __________
day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
By: _________________________________