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53	53	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
54	54
55	55	1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
56	56
57	57	SENATE BILL 247 By: Deevers
58	58
59	59
60	60
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63	63	AS INTRODUCED
64	64
65	65	An Act relating to students; stating legislative
66	66	findings; creating the Fund Students, Not Systems
67	67	Act; providing short title; defining terms; creating
68	68	the Fund Students, Not Systems Education Savings
69	69	Account Program to be administered by the State
70	70	Department of Education; providing application
71	71	procedures; providing for contents of application;
72	72	providing deadline for submission of applicat ion;
73	73	directing the State Board of Education to establish
74	74	procedures and timeli nes for application approval;
75	75	providing for calculation of education savings
76	76	account amount; directing the Department to make
77	77	quarterly transfers; allowing accrual of funds;
78	78	directing the Department to calculate the total cost
79	79	of all education savings accounts and reserve or
80	80	retain certain amount from the amount appropriated
81	81	for State Aid purposes; prohibiting the act from
82	82	limiting certain independence or autonomy of private
83	83	schools and homeschool families; prohibiting the act
84	84	from requiring private schools or homeschool families
85	85	be subject to certain requirements; directing the
86	86	Department to electronically submit a report by
87	87	certain date; providing for contents of report;
88	88	allowing the Legislature to use the report to make
89	89	certain fund adjustments; providing for promulgation
90	90	of rules; prohibiting certain rules or actions from
91	91	imposing certain requirements, oversight, or
92	92	regulations on private schools or homeschool
93	93	families; providing for severability; providing for
94	94	noncodification; providing for codification;
95	95	providing an effective date; and declaring an
96	96	emergency.
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153	153	BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
154	154	SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new sect ion of law not to be
155	155	codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows:
156	156	The Legislature finds and declares the following:
157	157	1. Strengthening public education is a cornerstone of democracy
158	158	and must be supported, improved, and made more efficient to serve
159	159	all students effectively. The Fund Students, Not Systems Act
160	160	created in Section 2 of this act is designed to provide families
161	161	with options while incentivizing innovation and excellence within
162	162	public schools in this state;
163	163	2. This state’s education system m ust prioritize meeting the
164	164	diverse needs of every student, whether the student thrives in a
165	165	traditional public school, charter school, or alternative
166	166	educational setting. Providing families with additional options
167	167	will help ensure that no child is left be hind or underserved;
168	168	3. Taxpayers in this state invest heavily in education, and the
169	169	provisions of this act ensure that funding is allocated fairly to
170	170	benefit the students it is intended to serve. Public schools shall
171	171	continue to receive robust funding, and families shall have the
172	172	flexibility to choose the best educational setting for their
173	173	children;
174	174	4. Teachers and administrators are the backbone of the
175	175	education system in this state. The provisions of this act support
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227	227	their mission by reducing overcro wding, allowing them to focus on
228	228	students who thrive in public school environm ents, and providing
229	229	opportunities for public schools to innovate and compete ;
230	230	5. By encouraging parental choice and educational flexibility,
231	231	the provisions of this act provide opportunities for public schools
232	232	to highlight their strengths, develop new programs, and attract
233	233	families seeking high -quality education;
234	234	6. The ultimate goal of the provisions of this act is to
235	235	improve student outcomes across all educational settings. By
236	236	focusing resources on the individual needs of students, this state
237	237	shall foster a culture of academic excellence and lifelong success ;
238	238	and
239	239	7. A more dynamic and competitive educational landscape will
240	240	encourage the development of cutting -edge programs and teaching
241	241	methods that benefit public school teachers and administrators.
242	242	SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
243	243	in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 28 -200 of Title 70, unless there
244	244	is created a duplication in number ing, reads as follows:
245	245	A. This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Fund
246	246	Students, Not Systems Act ”.
247	247	B. As used in this act:
248	248	1. “Compulsory attendance compliance ” means adherence to the
249	249	provisions of Section 10 -105 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Sta tutes,
250	250	ensuring that all students meet attendance requirements through
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302	302	public, private, or charter school, or the other means of education
303	303	exception provided for in subsection A of Section 10 -105 of Title 70
304	304	of the Oklahoma Statutes ;
305	305	2. “Department” means the State Department of Education;
306	306	3. “Education savings account” or “ESA” means an account
307	307	established to receive state education funds for the benefit of an
308	308	eligible student;
309	309	4. “Eligible student” means a resident of this state who is
310	310	eligible to enroll in a public school in this state and is over the
311	311	age of five (5) and under the age of eighteen (18). Eligible
312	312	student includes students who have not reached the age of twenty -two
313	313	(22) if they are subject to the provisions of the Individuals with
314	314	Disabilities Education Act (IDEA);
315	315	5. “Participating educational provider ” means any public,
316	316	private, charter, or virtual charter school chosen by the parent or
317	317	legal guardian or the other means of education exception provided
318	318	for in subsection A of Section 10 -105 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma
319	319	Statutes;
320	320	6. “Program” means the Fund Students, Not Systems Education
321	321	Savings Account Program; and
322	322	7. “Qualified expense” means the following services provided by
323	323	a participating educational provider:
324	324	a. tuition and/or fees for curriculum and instruction,
325	325	b. instructional materials, textbooks, and s upplies,
326	326
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377	377	c. tutoring or educationally necessary occupational,
378	378	physical, or speech therapy,
379	379	d. fees for nationally standardized assessments
380	380	including, but not limited to, assessments used to
381	381	determine college admission and advanced placement
382	382	examinations,
383	383	e. fees for transportation related to travel to and from
384	384	a participating educational service provider, up to
385	385	One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) per school year,
386	386	f. tuition for a curriculum or program offered by a
387	387	technology center school,
388	388	g. fees associated with participation in extracurricular
389	389	activities, and
390	390	h. admission fees for s tate parks, museums, and other
391	391	educational field trips.
392	392	C. There is hereby created the Fund Students, Not Systems
393	393	Education Savings Account Program to be administered by the State
394	394	Department of Education to provide an education savings account
395	395	(ESA) for qualified expenses to support the education of an eligible
396	396	student in this state.
397	397	D. 1. To apply for an ESA, the parent or legal guardian of an
398	398	eligible student shall submit an ap plication to the State Department
399	399	of Education on a form prescribed by the Department and published on
400	400	its website. The form shall include, at a minimum, the eligible
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452	452	student’s name, the name of the eligible student ’s parent or legal
453	453	guardian, proof of the eligible student ’s residency in this state ,
454	454	and an attestation that the ESA will only be used for qualified
455	455	expenses. The application shall be submitted online or by mail by
456	456	April 1 preceding the school year for which an ESA is sought .
457	457	2. The State Board of Education shall establish procedures and
458	458	timelines to approve applications submitted pursuant to paragraph 1
459	459	of this subsection.
460	460	3. ESA renewal applications shall include confirmation of
461	461	continued eligibility and an attestation that the ESA will only be
462	462	used for qualified expenses.
463	463	E. 1. For each eligible student approved to participate in the
464	464	program, the State Department of Education shall calculate an amount
465	465	equivalent to the total State Aid factors for the applicable school
466	466	year multiplied by t he grade and disability weights for which the
467	467	student is eligible for the applicable school year. The Department
468	468	on a quarterly basis shall transfer the amount calculated pursua nt
469	469	to this paragraph into an ESA in the name of the eligible student.
470	470	Funds deposited into an ESA but unused shall accrue from quarter to
471	471	quarter and from year to year unless the ESA is closed or the
472	472	student is no longer eligible to participate in the pro gram.
473	473	2. The State Department of Education shall calculate the total
474	474	costs of all ESAs for all eligible students in this state and shall
475	475	reserve or retain from the total amount appropriated to the State
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527	527	Board of Education for State Aid purposes and any ot her revenue
528	528	available for allocation for State Aid purposes the total cost for
529	529	all ESAs.
530	530	F. 1. Nothing in this act shall limit the independence or
531	531	autonomy of private schools or homeschool families who provide
532	532	another means of education pursuant to the e xception provided for in
533	533	subsection A of Section 10 -105 of Title 70 of the Okl ahoma Statutes.
534	534	2. Nothing in this act shall require private schools or
535	535	homeschool families who provide another means of education pursuant
536	536	to the exception provided for in subs ection A of Section 10 -105 of
537	537	Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes to:
538	538	a. adhere to subject matter standards provided for in
539	539	Section 11-103.6 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes ,
540	540	b. obtain accreditation from the State Board of Education
541	541	or another accrediti ng association,
542	542	c. employ teachers who are certified pursuant to Sections
543	543	6-190 or 6-122.3 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes ,
544	544	or
545	545	d. be subject to auditing or financial reporting
546	546	requirements of the State Board of Education .
547	547	G. By December 31, 2026, and each December 31 thereafter, the
548	548	State Department of Education shall electronically submit a report
549	549	on the program to the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the
550	550	Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The report
551	551
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602	602	shall include the tot al amount of funds allocated to ESAs for the
603	603	prior school year and the average amount allocated per ESA. The
604	604	Legislature may use the report to make adjustments to the amount of
605	605	funds allocated for the financial support of public schools for the
606	606	ensuing fiscal year.
607	607	H. 1. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules to
608	608	implement the provisions of this act.
609	609	2. No administrative rule promulgated by the Board or action of
610	610	the Board shall impose additional requirements, oversight, or
611	611	regulations on private schools or homeschool families who provide
612	612	another means of education pu rsuant to the exception provided for in
613	613	subsection A of Section 10 -105 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes
614	614	beyond those explicitly stated in this act.
615	615	SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
616	616	in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 28 -201 of Title 70, unless there
617	617	is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
618	618	The provisions of the Fund Students, Not Systems Act created
619	619	pursuant to Section 2 of this act are severable and if any part or
620	620	provision shall be held voi d, the decision of the court so holding
621	621	shall not affect or impair any of the remaining parts or provisions
622	622	of the Fund Students, Not Systems Act.
623	623	SECTION 4. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
624	624	SECTION 5. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
625	625	of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
626	626
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677	677	declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
678	678	be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
679	679
680	680	60-1-1288 EB 12/30/2024 5:44:27 PM

Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB247 Compare Versions