Oklahoma 2024 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB671 Latest Draft

Bill / Introduced Version Filed 01/18/2023

                             
 
 
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STATE OF OKLAHOMA 
 
1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023) 
 
SENATE BILL 671 	By: Pederson 
 
 
 
 
 
AS INTRODUCED 
 
An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2021, 
Section 1-114, which relates to f ree attendance of 
public schools; updating language regarding student 
transfers pursuant to certain act; exempting from 
certain tuition fee requirement school districts that 
enroll certain students, do not receive certain 
funds, and have certain per -pupil expenditure; 
prohibiting certain students from bein g eligible for 
State Aid; prohibiting allocation or transfer of 
certain local funding; providing an e ffective date; 
and declaring an emergency. 
 
 
 
 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLA HOMA: 
SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY    70 O.S. 2021, Section 1 -114, is 
amended to read as follows: 
Section 1-114. A.  All children between the ages of five (5) 
years on or before September 1, and twenty -one (21) years on or 
before September 1, shall be entitled to attend school free of 
charge in the district in which they reside. 
B.  All children who are at least four (4) years of age but not 
more than five (5) years of age on or before September 1 and wh o 
have not attended a publ ic school kindergarten shall be entitled to   
 
 
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attend half-day or full-day early childhood programs at any public 
school in the state where such programs are offered; provided, no 
child shall be required to attend any early childhood education 
program.  The following paragraphs shall govern early childhood 
programs: 
1.  Children who are at least four (4) years of age but not more 
than five (5) years of age on or before September 1 shall be 
entitled to attend either half -day or full-day early childhood 
programs in their district of residence free of charge as long as 
the district has the physical facilities and teaching personnel to 
accommodate the child.  For purposes of calculation of State Aid, 
children in an early childhood educatio n program shall be include d 
in the average daily membership of the district providing th e 
program; 
2.  A child who has not reached the age of five (5) years on or 
before September 1 and who resides in a district which does not 
offer an early childhood prog ram shall be eligible for transfer to a 
district where an early childhood program is off ered if the district 
that offers the early childhood program agrees to the transfer has 
the capacity to accept the child as provided for in the Education 
Open Transfer Act.  A district offering early child hood programs may 
refuse to accept a nonresident ch ild if the district does n ot have 
the physical facilities or teaching personnel the capacity to 
accommodate the child in an early childhood education class , as   
 
 
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provided for in the Education Open Transfer A ct.  If the child 
requesting the transfer has not r eached the age of four (4) years on 
or before September 1, the district may refuse to accep t the 
nonresident child if the district determines the child is not ready 
for an early childhood program.  Childre n who are accepted in a 
program outside their distr ict of residence as provided in this 
paragraph shall be included in the average daily membe rship of the 
district providing the program for State Aid funding subject to the 
State Aid formula weight limitati ons set forth in paragraph 1 of 
this subsection; and 
3.  The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules that 
create exemptions relating t o the maximum age at which a child may 
attend half-day or full-day early childhood programs. 
C.  No child shall be enrolled in kindergarten unless he or she 
will have reached the age of five (5) years on or before September 1 
of the school year.  No child shall be enrolled in the first grade 
unless he or she will have reached the a ge of six (6) years on or 
before September 1 of the school year. 
D.  1. No nonresident and nontransferred pupil shall be allowed 
to attend school in any school district unless a tuit ion fee equal 
to the per capita cost of education for a similar period in such 
district during the preceding y ear has been paid to the receiving 
district in advance yearly or by semester as determined by the 
district board of education of the receiving dis trict.  If the State   
 
 
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Board of Education discovers that such the attendance has been 
allowed without prior paym ent of the tuition fee in advance as 
required, no further payment of any State Aid Funds funds shall be 
made to the district until such the district has shown t o the 
satisfaction of the State Board of Education that all such tuition 
fees have been paid or that such tuition the pupil will no longer be 
allowed to attend school until the required tuition fee has been 
paid. 
2.  The provisions of paragraph 1 of this subsection shall not 
apply to a school district that enrolls nonresident students from a 
contiguous, out-of-state school district if the district: 
a. does not receive payment of any State Aid funds, and 
b. has a per-pupil expenditure, as defined by Section 1-
124 of this title, that is above the state average 
per-pupil expenditure. 
A nonresident student whose resident district, as determined by 
Section 1-113 of this title, is not within this state shall not be 
eligible for State Aid. No local funding associated with the 
nonresident student’s out-of-state resident district shall be 
allocated or transfer red to the receiving school district. 
E.  Any parent, guardian, person, or institution having care and 
custody of a child who pays ad valorem tax on real property in any 
other school district other than that in which tha t person resides 
may, with the approval of the receiving board school district,   
 
 
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enroll the child in any school district in which ad valore m tax is 
paid and receive a credit on the nonresident tuition fee equal to 
the amount of the ad valorem tax paid for s chool district purposes 
in the school district in which the child is enrolled.  Provide d, 
the credit shall not exceed the total amount req uired for the 
tuition payment. 
SECTION 2.  This act shall become effective July 1, 2023. 
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 thi s act shall take effect and 
be in full force from and after its passage and approval. 
 
59-1-1015 EB 1/18/2023 12:03:53 PM