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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023)
HOUSE BILL 1428 By: Vancuren
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to teachers; amending 70 O.S. 2021,
Section 6-204.2 and 6-204.3, which relate to the
Education Leadership Oklahoma Act; transferring
duties to Office of Educational Quality and
Accountability; modifying purposes of the Education
Leadership Oklahoma program; providing financial
assistance for teachers renewing their National Board
certification; limiting applicants for rene wal
program; setting maximum award for each applicant;
establishing bonuses for teachers with National Board
certification; modifying term of years for the bonus;
prohibiting inclusion of bonus in calculating salary;
deleting reference to certain salary increment
category; modifying verification process for eligible
teachers; transferring oversight of Fund; modifying
authorized expenditures; amending 70 O.S. 2021,
Section 18-114.14, which relates to the Minimum
Salary Schedule; modifying effective date of
schedule; removing certain schedule categories;
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 6 -204.2, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 6-204.2 A. The Oklahoma Commission for Teacher
Preparation Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (OEQA)
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and the State Board of Education are authorized to establish the
Education Leadership Oklahoma program.
B. The purposes of the Educatio n Leadership Oklahoma program
are to:
1. Provide teachers throughout the state information about
National Board certification and the Education Leadership Oklahoma
program services;
2. Provide technical assistance and National -Board-certified
mentors to all teachers seeking National Board certification upon
request;
3. Reward teachers who are seeking National Board certification
by awarding them a portion of the application processing charge and
assessment fee and scholarship a s provided in subsection D of this
section; and
4. Reward teachers who are renewing their National Board
certification by awarding them a portion of the renewal application
fee as provided in subsection E of thi s section; and
5. Provide recognition to Na tional-Board-certified teachers.
C. To fulfill the objectives of the Education Leade rship
Oklahoma Act, the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation OEQA
shall:
1. Inform teachers of the Education Leadership Oklahoma program
and services it provides to teachers seeking National Board
certification, emphasizing recruiting efforts toward teachers at
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high-poverty schools, schools identified as in need of improvement
and in counties with the lowest percentage of teachers who have
achieved National Board certification; and
2. Ensure that all teachers seeking National Board
certification receive adequate information regarding the level of
commitment required to acquire National Board ce rtification.
D. The Commission OEQA shall select not more than one hundred
(100) applicants to participate in th e program each fiscal year for
whom the Commission OEQA shall pay one-half (1/2) of the application
processing charge and assessment fee for Na tional Board
certification. The total amount paid by t he Commission OEQA shall
not exceed One Thousand Three Hun dred Dollars ($1,300.00) per
applicant. In addition the Commission OEQA shall also provide to
the selected applicants a scholarship in the amo unt of Five Hundred
Dollars ($500.00) to cover other expenses associa ted with obtaining
National Board certification.
E. The OEQA shall select not more than three hundred (300)
applicants to participate in the renewal program each fiscal year
for whom the OEQA shall pay a portion of t he fee for National Board
certification renewal. The total amount paid by the OEQA shall not
exceed Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00) per applicant.
F. The Commission OEQA shall promulgate rules establishing a
process for accepting applications for t he Education Leadership
Oklahoma program and for providing to applicants selected for the
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program up-front payment of the application processing charge and
assessment fee and scholarship. If a selected applicant who
receives the up-front payment does not complete National Board
certification within three (3) years, the applicant shall repay the
Commission OEQA the full amount paid by the Commission OEQA pursuant
to subsection D of this section. All selected applicants who do not
receive an up-front payment and successfully complete National Board
certification shall be reimbursed by the Commission OEQA for the
application processing charge and assessment fee. The total amount
of reimbursement paid by the Commission OEQA shall not exceed One
Thousand Three Hundred Dollars ($1,300.00) per applicant.
F. G. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Oklahoma
Commission for Teacher Preparation contract with Southeastern
Oklahoma State University to OEQA establish Education Leade rship
Oklahoma program trainin g in higher education teacher preparation
programs in the state to assist teachers in meeting the requirements
to obtain National Board certification.
G. H. All teachers seeking National Board certification shall
be eligible to participate in Education Le adership Oklahoma program
training to assist them in meeting the requirements of the National
Board certification pro cess, free of charge.
H. I. Subject to district board of education policy or
collective bargaining agreement , additional professional leav e days
may be granted to teachers seeking N ational Board certification for
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National Board certification portfolio dev elopment. During the two
(2) days of the additional professional days granted to teachers for
National Board certification portfolio devel opment, a substitute
teacher shall be provi ded by the school district at no cost to the
teacher.
I. J. 1. The State Board of Education OEQA shall provide to
teachers who attained attain National Board certification prior to
June 30, 2013, a bonus in the amount of Five Thousand Dollars
($5,000.00) annually over a ten-year or five-year period, to be paid
no later than January 31 each year. The Board shall provide a bonus
to any teacher who attains National Board certification after June
30, 2013, if the teacher was selected for the Education Leader ship
Oklahoma program before June 30, 2013, or the teacher has submitted
an application for National Board certification to the National
Board for Professional Teaching Standards befo re June 30, 2013
depending on the duration of the certification .
2. The teachers eligible to receive the annual bonus as
provided for in para graph 1 of this subsection shall receive the
annual bonus for the ten-year duration of their National Board
certification and so long as they ar e teaching in the classroom
full-time in an Oklahoma public school. No school or school
district shall be liabl e for payment of bonuses pursuant to this
section.
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3. The bonus shall not be included in the calculation of the
teacher's salary for purposes o f meeting the district or statutory
Minimum Salary Schedule, including instances where the salary
schedule of the district exceeds the statutory Minimum Salary
Schedule, or for purposes of compensating Oklahoma Teachers '
Retirement System contributions or benefits.
4. Teachers eligible to receive the annual bonus as provided
for in paragraph 1 of this subsection sh all not be eligible to
receive the additional salary increment for National Board
certification as set forth in th e minimum salary schedule in S ection
3 of this act.
5. Teachers who atta in National Board certification after June
30, 2013, shall be eligibl e to receive the additional salary
increments for National Board certification as set forth in the
minimum salary schedule in Section 3 of this act.
6. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules for a
process by which a National -Board-certified teacher will verify
that:
a. the National Board certification has not lapsed,
b. the teacher is still a full-time teacher employed in a
public school, and
c. for teachers eligible for the bonus, the teacher has
not exceeded the limit of annual bonus payment s as
provided for in paragraph 1 of this subsection.
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J. K. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Oklahoma
State Regents for Higher Educa tion incorporate the National Board
certification portfolio development into all programs in education
leading to a master's level degree.
SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -204.3, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 6-204.3 There is hereby created in the St ate Treasury a
revolving fund for the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation
Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (OEQA) to be
designated the "Education Leadership Ok lahoma Revolving Fund ". The
fund shall be a continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year
limitations, and shall consist of all monies appropri ated or
transferred to the fund by the Legislature. All monies accru ing to
the credit of the fund are hereby appr opriated and may be budgeted
and expended by the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation OEQA
to provide assistance and scholarships for c andidates seeking
National Board certification and renewal and to provide annual
bonuses to qualified teachers pursuant to the requirements of
Section 6-204.2 of this title. Expenditures from the fund shall be
made upon warrants issued by the State Treasu rer against claims
filed as prescribed by law with the Director of th e Office of
Management and Enterprise Service s for approval and payment.
SECTION 3. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 18 -114.14,
is amended to read as follows:
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Section 18-114.14 A. Beginning with the 2018-2019 2023-2024
school year, certified personnel, as defined in Sectio n 26-103 of
this title, in the public schools of Oklahoma shall rece ive in
salary and/or fringe benefits not less than the amounts specified in
the following schedule:
MINIMUM SALARY SCHEDULE
National
Years of Bachelor's Board Master's Doctor's
Experience Degree Certification Degree Degree
0 $36,601 $37,759 $37,991 $39,381
1 $37,035 $38,193 $38,425 $39,815
2 $37,469 $38,628 $38,859 $40,249
3 $37,904 $39,062 $39,294 $40,684
4 $38,338 $39,496 $39,728 $41,118
5 $38,810 $39,968 $40,200 $41,590
6 $39,273 $40,432 $40,663 $42,054
7 $39,737 $40,895 $41,127 $42,517
8 $40,200 $41,358 $41,590 $42,980
9 $40,663 $41,822 $42,054 $43,444
10 $41,684 $42,844 $43,568 $45,945
11 $42,177 $43,336 $44,061 $46,438
12 $42,670 $43,829 $44,554 $46,931
13 $43,162 $44,322 $45,047 $47,424
14 $43,655 $44,815 $45,539 $47,916
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15 $44,167 $45,327 $46,052 $48,430
16 $44,660 $45,820 $46,545 $48,923
17 $45,153 $46,313 $47,038 $49,416
18 $45,646 $46,806 $47,531 $49,909
19 $46,139 $47,299 $48,024 $50,402
20 $46,652 $47,813 $48,538 $50,917
21 $47,145 $48,306 $49,031 $51,410
22 $47,639 $48,799 $49,524 $51,903
23 $48,132 $49,292 $50,018 $52,397
24 $48,625 $49,785 $50,511 $52,890
25 $50,049 $51,232 $51,971 $54,395
Master's Degree +
Years of National Board
Experience Certification
0 $39,149
1 $39,583
2 $40,018
3 $40,452
4 $40,886
5 $41,358
6 $41,822
7 $42,285
8 $42,749
9 $43,212
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10 $44,728
11 $45,221
12 $45,713
13 $46,206
14 $46,699
15 $47,212
16 $47,705
17 $48,198
18 $48,691
19 $49,184
20 $49,698
21 $50,192
22 $50,685
23 $51,178
24 $51,671
25 $53,153
B. 1. When determining the Minimum Salary Schedule, "fringe
benefits" shall mean all or part of retirement benefits, excluding
the contributions made pursuant to subsection A of Section 17 -108.1
of this title and the flexible benefit allowance pursuant to Section
26-105 of this title from the flexible benefit allowance funds
disbursed by the State Board of Education and the State Board of
Career and Technology Education pursuant to Section 26 -104 of this
title.
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2. If a school district intends to provide retirement benefits
to a teacher such that the teacher 's salary would be less than the
amounts set forth in the minimum salary schedule Minimum Salary
Schedule specified in subsection A of this section, the district
shall be required to provide written no tification to the teacher
prior to his or her employment or, if alre ady employed by the
district, no later than thirty (30) days prior to the date the
district elects to provide retirement benefits such that the
teacher's salary would be less than the minimum salary schedule
Minimum Salary Schedule.
C. Any of the degrees referred to in this section shall be from
a college recognized by the Stat e Board of Education. The Bo ard
shall accept teaching experience from out -of-state school districts
that are accredited by the state board of e ducation or appropriate
state accrediting agency for the districts. The Board shall acce pt
teaching experience from out-of-country schools that are accredited
or otherwise endorsed by the appropriate national or regional
accrediting or endorsement authori ty. Out-of-country certification
documentation in a language other than English shall be analyzed by
an educational credential evaluation se rvice in accordance with
industry standards and guidelines and approved by the State
Department of Education. The person seeking to have credit granted
for out-of-country teaching experience shall be res ponsible for all
costs of the analysis by a credenti al evaluation service. The Board
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shall accept teaching experience from primary and s econdary schools
that are operated by the United States Department o f Defense or are
affiliated with the United States Department of State.
D. For the purpose of state sa lary increments and retirement,
no teacher shall be granted credit for more than five (5) years of
active duty in the military service or out -of-state or out-of-
country teaching experience as a certified teacher or its
equivalent. Nothing in this section shall prohibit boards of
education from crediting more years of experience on distric t salary
schedules than those allowed for state purposes.
E. The State Board of Education shall recognize, for purpose s
of certification and salary increments, all the ye ars of experience
of a:
1. Certified teacher who teaches in the educational program of
the Department of Correctio ns, beginning with fiscal year 1981;
2. Vocational rehabilitation counselor under the De partment of
Human Services if the counselor was empl oyed as a certified teacher
by the State Department of Education when the Division of Vocational
Rehabilitation was transferred from the State Board of C areer and
Technology Education or the State Board o f Education to the Okla homa
Public Welfare Commissio n on July 1, 1968;
3. Vocational rehabilitation counselor which were completed
while employed by the Department of Human Services if such counselor
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was certified as a teacher or was eligible for certific ation as a
teacher in Oklahoma;
4. Certified teache r which were completed while employed by the
Child Study Center located at University Hospital, if the teacher
was certified as a teacher in Oklahoma; an d
5. Certified school psychologist or psychometris t which were
completed while employed as a doctoral intern, psychological
assistant, or psychologist with any agency of the State of Okla homa
if the experience primari ly involved work with persons of schoo l- or
preschool-age and if the person was, at the t ime the experience was
acquired, certified as, or el igible for certification as, a school
psychologist or psychometrist.
F. The provisions of this section shall not a pply to teachers
who have entered into postretirement employment with a public school
in Oklahoma and are still receiving a monthly retiremen t benefit.
G. If a person employed as certified personnel, as defined in
Section 26-103 of this title, by a school district during the 2017 -
2018 school year was receiving a salary above the step level
indicated by the State Mi nimum Salary Schedule for the 2017-2018
school year, the person shall receive a salary increase amount equal
to the amount indicated in subsecti on A of this section for the step
level indicated for the person, provided they remain em ployed by the
same district, unless the hours or the duties of the c ertified
personnel are reduced proportionately.
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SECTION 4. This act shall become e ffective July 1, 2023.
SECTION 5. 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 effe ct and
be in full force from a nd after its passage and approval.
59-1-5809 EK 01/09/23