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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023)
HOUSE BILL 2072 By: Caldwell (Chad)
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2021,
Section 5-106, which relates to school district
boards of education; prescribing minimum education
requirement for superintendent s; authorizing board to
establish additional requirements and qualifications
for superintendents; amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section
6-189, which relates to superintendent and principal
certification; modifying certification requirements
for superintendents; deleting alternative
certification for superintendents ; providing an
effective date; and declaring an emergen cy.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 5 -106, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 5-106. A. The governing board of each school district
in Oklahoma is hereby designated and shall hereafter be known as the
board of education of such d istrict. Except as otherwise provided
in this section, the sup erintendent of schools appointed and
employed by the board shall be the executive officer of the board
and shall perform duties as the board directs. A superintendent of
schools appointed and employed by the board shall possess, at a
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minimum, a baccalaureate degree. The board may establish additional
requirements and qualifications for superintendent candidates as it
deems necessary to fulfill the duties of e mployment.
B. The board may contra ct with a superintendent for a term as
mutually agreed upon but not to exceed thre e (3) years beyond the
fiscal year in which the contract is approved by the board and
accepted by the superintendent. The contract shall i nclude all
other terms and conditio ns as agreed upon in writing by the board
and the superintendent.
C. The boards of two or more school districts may contract with
one superintendent to serve as superintendent of the school
districts as provided in Secti on 4 5-106A of this act title.
D. No board of a school district having average daily
membership (ADM) of fewer than five hundred (500) pupils shall be
prohibited from allowing a superintendent to serve simultaneously as
a principal.
E. The chief executive officer of the board of education of a
district in which a public developmental research school is
established shall be the dire ctor of the school appointed as
provided in Section 1210.577 of this title.
SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6-189, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 6-189. A. The certification system required by the
Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act as part of the new teacher
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preparation system shall be competency -based. The competencies for
certification shall be integrated with compe tencies specified in
Section 6-185 of this title. By July 1, 1996, the State Board of
Education shall adopt general competencies for certification, and by
January 1, 1997, the Board shall have adopted full competencies a nd
implemented the certification sy stem as required in this act. No
higher education courses or credit hours may be specified by the
State Board of Education in rules for certification. Nothing in the
certification rules adopted by the Board shall prohib it the Oklahoma
State Regents for Higher Education from adopting policies and
procedures it deems appropriate for coursework, grade point average,
or credit hours for teacher preparation at institutions in The
Oklahoma State System of Higher Education.
B. The certification requirements for a school principal not
alternatively certified under subsection D of this section shall
include not less than:
1. Completion of a standard master 's degree;
2. Completion of a program in education administration approve d
by the Oklahoma Commission for Te acher Preparation with an emphasis
on curriculum, instruction and building -level leadership skills.
The requirement in this paragraph shall not apply to any person who
has completed a master 's degree program in education that included
competencies that ar e substantially equal to those listed in this
paragraph and if the degree was completed prior to July 1, 2005;
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3. Any other professional education and requirements as may be
fixed by the State Board of Education;
4. A passing score on the subject area co mpetency examination
required in Section 6 -187 of this title; and
5. A minimum of two (2) years of successful teaching experience
in public or private schools accredited by the State Board of
Education or by the proper a ccrediting authority of another sta te of
the United States.
C. The certification requirements for a superintendent of
schools not alternatively certified under subsection D of this
section shall include not less than:
1. Certification as a school princip al or completion of the
certification requirements for a school principal as set forth in
subsection B of this section;
2. Completion of a program in education administration approved
by the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation with an emphasis
on district-level leadership skills, a nd which shall include the
following competencies:
a. instructional leadership,
b. organizational leadership, including education
finance, education law, and risk management,
c. collaborative and community leadership, and
d. ethical leadership.
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The requirement in this paragraph shall not apply to any person
who has completed an Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation
approved Master's Degree in Education Administration or has
completed a program in education that inclu ded competencies that are
substantially equal to those listed in this paragraph, and if the
degree or program was completed between the effective date of this
act and July 1, 2005;
3. Any other professional education and requirements as may be
fixed by the State Board of Education;
4. A passing score on the subject area competency examination
required in Section 6 -187 of this title; and
5. A minimum of two (2) years of administrative experience in
public or private schools accredited by the State Board o f Education
or by the proper accre diting authority of another state of the
United States, at a minimum, completion of a baccalaureate degree .
D. 1. The standards for alternative certification for
superintendents of schools and principals shall include:
a. the completion of a standard mas ter's degree,
b. two (2) years of relevant work experien ce in a
supervisory or administrative capacity,
c. a passing score on the subject area competency
examination required in Section 6 -187 of this title,
and
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d. filing with the director of teacher educat ion at an
Oklahoma accredited institution of higher educ ation a
plan for completing an alternative administrative
preparation program within three (3) years. Relevant
work experience and coursework may be considered and
applied to complete the plan.
2. An alternative certificate for superintendent of schools and
principals shall not exceed three (3) years and shall not be
renewable.
3. Upon successful completion of an alternative administrative
preparation program by a p articipant, the State Board of Edu cation
shall issue a standard certificate for superintendent or principal,
as applicable, to the applicant.
4. Any person participating in an alternative certification
program for superintendent of schools and principals on the
effective date of this act shall be subject to the program
requirements in effect p rior to the effective date of this act.
E. The certification requirements for a superintendent of a
technology center school district shall include not less than a
standard master's degree, any other professional education
requirements as may be fixed by the State Board of Education, and a
minimum of four (4) years teaching, supervisory or administrative
experience, which may include teaching of full -time adult students,
in a technology center school district. A person meeting the
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requirements set forth i n subsection C of this section shall be
eligible for a certificate for superintendent of a technology center
school district.
F. The State Board of Education and the State Board of Career
and Technology Education shall promulgate rules for a certification
system option specifically for teachers and instructors in the
technology center school districts. The teacher preparation system
shall be competency-based. The competencies for certification shall
be integrated with competencies of this title, as well as reflect
industry-based skills, standards and certifications.
G. Certificates issued by the State Board of Education may be
revoked by the State Board of Education for willful violation of any
rule of the Board or of any federal or state law or other pr oper
cause but only after sufficient hearing has been given before the
Board.
H. Teaching in a Head Start program or programs shall be used
for renewal of a standard teaching certificate.
SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2023.
SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
declared to exist, by reason whereof thi s act shall take effect a nd
be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
59-1-7053 EK 01/16/23