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28	28	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
29	29
30	30	1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
31	31
32	32	HOUSE BILL 2242 By: Waldron
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38	38	AS INTRODUCED
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40	40	An Act relating to higher education; amending 70 O.S.
41	41	2021, Section 698.1, as last amended by Section 1,
42	42	Chapter 249, O.S.L. 2023 (70 O. S. Supp. 2024, Section
43	43	698.1), which relates to the Inspired to Teach
44	44	Program; requiring the State Regents to establish
45	45	certain program for certain advanced degrees;
46	46	providing for scholarships for certain advanced
47	47	degrees; modifying definition; requiring c ertain
48	48	agreement by advanced degree program participants;
49	49	adding certain advan ced degree participants to
50	50	incentive payments; providing an effective date; and
51	51	declaring an emergency .
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56	56	BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
57	57	SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 698.1, as
58	58	last amended by Section 1, Chapter 249, O.S.L. 2023 (70 O.S. Supp.
59	59	2024, Section 698.1), is amended to read as follows:
60	60	Section 698.1. A. 1. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
61	61	Education shall establish and maintain an incentive scholarship
62	62	program and teacher employment incentive program, as funding is
63	63	available, to encourage the preparation of public school teachers
64	64	for prekindergarten through twelfth grade, including minority
65	65	teachers, at all state public higher education institutions or
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92	92	private higher education institutions accredited pursuant to Section
93	93	4103 of this title and incentivize employment as public teachers for
94	94	prekindergarten through twelfth grade in the state for at least five
95	95	(5) years, to be known as the Inspired to Teach Program.
96	96	Prospective teachers planning to pursue an undergraduate teacher
97	97	education program at an accredited Oklahoma teacher preparation
98	98	program shall be considered if they graduated from high sc hool,
99	99	completed high-school level instruction at home, or completed
100	100	General Educational Development (GED) test requirements; meet the
101	101	higher education admission standards; and declare a pre -education
102	102	major or major in an approved Oklahoma teacher preparati on degree
103	103	program leading to a standard teaching certificate.
104	104	B. 2. To the extent that funds are available, scholarships,
105	105	renewable for up to three (3) additional years for qualified
106	106	students meeting satisfactory academic progress standards in
107	107	completing a teacher preparation degree program leading to a
108	108	standard teaching certificate, shall be awarded to cover costs of
109	109	tuition, general enrollment fees, other fees, books, materials, and
110	110	services provided by the institution, including room and board, in
111	111	the following manner:
112	112	1.
113	113	a. One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) per academic year for
114	114	up to three (3) academic years for full -time students
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141	141	who have earned less than ninety (90) credit hours;
142	142	and
143	143	2.
144	144	b. Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) for the
145	145	final academic year for full -time students who have
146	146	earned ninety (90) or more credit hours.
147	147	The maximum amount of scholarship funds awarded as provided in
148	148	this subsection to any qualified student shall not exceed Five
149	149	Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($5,500.00).
150	150	B. 1. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall
151	151	establish and maintain an incentive scholarship program and
152	152	incentive program, as funding is available, to encourage the
153	153	advanced education of public school counselors, speech pathologists,
154	154	special education teachers, and school administrators, at all state
155	155	public higher education institutions or private higher education
156	156	institutions accredited pursuant to Section 4103 of this title and
157	157	incentivize employment as public school employees for at least five
158	158	(5) years, to be included in the Inspired to Teach Program.
159	159	Prospective school counselors, speech pathologists, special
160	160	education teachers, and school administrators planning to pursue a
161	161	graduate degree in school counseling, speech pathology, specia l
162	162	education, or school administration at an accredited Oklahoma
163	163	graduate degree program shall be considered if they:
164	164	a. have an undergraduate degree,
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191	191	b. meet the higher education admission standards for the
192	192	graduate degree program, and
193	193	c. declare a major in an approved Oklahoma graduate
194	194	degree program for school counseling, speech
195	195	pathology, special education, or school
196	196	administration.
197	197	2. To the extent that funds are available, scholarships,
198	198	renewable for up to two (2) additional years for qualified studen ts
199	199	meeting satisfactory academic progress standards in completing a
200	200	graduate degree program, shall be awarded to cover costs of tuition,
201	201	general enrollment fees, other fees, books, materials, and services
202	202	provided by the institution, including room and boa rd, in the
203	203	following manner:
204	204	a. One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) per academic year for
205	205	up to two (2) academic years for full -time students
206	206	who have earned less than ninety (90) credit hours ,
207	207	and
208	208	b. Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) for the
209	209	final academic year for full -time students who have
210	210	earned ninety (90) or more credit hours.
211	211	The maximum amount of scholarship funds awarded as provided in
212	212	this subsection to any qualified student shall not exceed Five
213	213	Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($4,500.00) .
214	214	C. As used in this section, "full-time student" means:
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241	241	1. An undergraduate student enrolled in twelve (12) or more
242	242	semester credits toward teacher education degree requirements;
243	243	2. An undergraduate student who is a teacher education major
244	244	who is enrolled in or has completed an internship or student
245	245	teaching credit hours in order to complete the degree program prior
246	246	to certification and who has been approved to take less than twelve
247	247	(12) credit hours; or
248	248	3. An undergraduate student who is a teacher edu cation major
249	249	with an approved reasonable accommodation from Student Accessibil ity
250	250	Services at the institution due to a documented disability and who
251	251	has been approved to take less than twelve (12) credit hours ; or
252	252	4. A graduate student enrolled in nine (9 ) or more semester
253	253	credits toward graduate degree requirements .
254	254	D. It is the intent of the Oklahoma Legislature that the
255	255	Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education create a committee
256	256	composed of educators, teacher educators from the participating
257	257	institutions, and representatives of the public schools and the
258	258	State Department of E ducation to provide recommendations to the
259	259	State Regents to improve effectiveness of the Inspired to Teach
260	260	Program. The committee shall prepare and deliver a report on the
261	261	program to the Legislature on or before July 1 of each year.
262	262	E. Each scholarship participant, prior to entry into the
263	263	Inspired to Teach Program, shall have agreed to teach be employed in
264	264	an Oklahoma public prekindergarten through twelfth grade school for
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291	291	a minimum of five (5) consecutive years upon either graduation and
292	292	licensure as a teacher or graduation with a graduate degree in
293	293	school counseling, speech pathology, special education, or school
294	294	administration. Any scholarship participant failing to maintain a
295	295	2.5 grade point average throughout matriculation, changing to an
296	296	ineligible area of study, failing to meet satisfactory academic
297	297	progress standards, withdrawing or otherwise leaving school, or
298	298	failing to meet requirements for licensure and certification to
299	299	teach as established by law shall be subject to disqualification
300	300	from the program.
301	301	F. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education are
302	302	authorized to make employment incentive payments pursuant to the
303	303	provisions of this section to Inspired to Teach P rogram participants
304	304	who are employed as traditionally certified teachers in Oklahoma
305	305	public prekindergarten through twelfth grade schools following
306	306	graduation or who are employed as school counselors, speech
307	307	pathologists, special education teachers, or sch ool administrators.
308	308	Incentive payments may be awarded following each consecut ive year of
309	309	satisfactory service as documented by the employing school district,
310	310	up to five (5) years of service for scholarship recipients as
311	311	provided in subsection subsections A and B of this section, upon
312	312	graduation from an accredited Oklahoma teacher preparation degree
313	313	program. The maximum amount of employment incentive payments for
314	314	any qualified participant shall be Four Thousand Dollars ($4,000.00)
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341	341	per year for up to five ( 5) years, not to exceed a total of Twenty
342	342	Thousand Dollars ($20,000.00) per pa rticipant.
343	343	G. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall
344	344	require the execution of appropriate contracts with eligible
345	345	Inspired to Teach Program participants. Partici pants failing to
346	346	comply with the requirements of this section or failing to provide
347	347	current contact information shall not be eligible for the employment
348	348	incentive payments provided for in this section. The Chancellor of
349	349	the Oklahoma State Regents for High er Education, with the approval
350	350	of the State Regents, may contract with any ot her appropriate
351	351	organization or unit of government for the administration of the
352	352	provisions of this section.
353	353	H. If sufficient funds are not available for employment
354	354	incentive payments to qualified participants during any fiscal year,
355	355	the Chancellor may make reductions in the payments made to qualified
356	356	participants.
357	357	I. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education may, at the
358	358	time an award is made on behalf of the Inspired to T each Program,
359	359	set aside funds for the full commitment made to an eligible stud ent.
360	360	J. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education may utilize
361	361	Inspired to Teach Program designated funds for administration of the
362	362	program.
363	363	SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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390	390	SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
391	391	of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
392	392	declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
393	393	be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
394	394
395	395	60-1-11708 AQH 12/13/24

Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB2242 Compare Versions