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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
SENATE BILL 7 By: Seifried
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to higher education; creating the
Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy to be
administered by the Oklahoma State Regents f or Higher
Education; providing purpose; defining term;
directing the State Department of Education to
identify and publish certain list by certain date;
providing eligibility criteria; requiring execution
of certain agreement; directing assistance amount t o
be equivalent to certain tuition and fees;
prohibiting assistance for cert ain courses or units;
establishing assistance cap for each academic year;
allowing funds to be set aside for full commitment;
directing assistance to be allocated to certain
institution of higher education from certain fund;
directing certain benefits to be exhausted first;
providing for retention eligibility; requiring
repayment of assistance for failure to meet certain
agreement; providing for calculation of repayment
amount; allowing request for hardship waiver;
requiring certain institutions of higher e ducation to
develop and promote, in certain coordination, certain
public awareness program; directing the State Regents
to submit certain report by certain date; providing
for contents of report; providing for promulgation of
rules; creating the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment
Academy Revolving Fund; specifying source of fund;
providing for expenditures; providing purpose of
fund; providing for codification; providing an
effective date; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF TH E STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 6 -305 of Title 70, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
A. 1. There is hereby created the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment
Academy to be administered by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
Education to provide tuition and mandatory fee assistance to
individuals to earn a bachelor’s degree from a teacher preparation
program accredited by the Commission for Educational Quality and
Accountability if the individuals commit to teach in one of the
critical shortage subject areas identified pursuant to paragraph 2
of this subsection in a public school in this state.
2. For the purposes of this section, “critical shortage subject
area” means a subject area identified by the State Department of
Education that is in critical need of certified teachers. By July
30, 2025, and by July 30 every three (3) years thereafter, the State
Department of Education shall identify and publish on its website a
list of the top five critical shortage subject areas taking into
consideration the results of the educator supply -and-demand study
conducted pursuant to Section 6 -211 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma
Statutes. The eligibility of an individual who has executed an
agreement pursuant to subsection C of this section shall not be
affected by the removal of a subject area from the Department ’s list
of top five critical shortage subject areas.
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B. To be eligible to particip ate in the Oklahoma Teacher
Recruitment Academy during the 2025-2026 academic year and
thereafter, an individual shall:
1. Enroll in an institution of higher education within The
Oklahoma State System of Higher Education. An individual may enroll
first in a two-year institution and subsequently transfer to a four -
year institution to complete the requirements for a degree from an
approved teacher preparation program;
2. Submit an application on a form prescribed by the Oklahoma
State Regents for Higher Ed ucation; and
3. Execute an agreement pursuant to subsection C of this
section.
C. An individual who meets the eligibility criteria set forth
in subsection B of this section shall execute an agreement stating
that he or she shall:
1. Agree to earn a bachelor ’s degree from an approved teacher
preparation degree program leading to a standard teaching
certificate;
2. Agree to meet the requirements of Section 6 -187 of Title 70
of the Oklahoma Statutes to earn a standard teaching certificate in
a critical shortage subject area identified pursuant to subsection A
of this section; and
3. Agree to teach in a public school in this state in a
critical shortage subject area identified pursu ant to subsection A
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of this section. The individual shall be required to teach for one
school year in a public school for each academic year the individual
received tuition and mandatory fee assistance pursuant to this
section.
D. 1. Subject to the availability of funding, t he amount of
assistance shall be equivalent to the amo unt of tuition and
mandatory fees for courses in which the individual enrolls for
completion of a bachelor ’s degree. Assistance shall not be allowed
for courses or other postsecon dary units taken in excess of the
requirements for completion of a bachelor ’s degree or taken more
than five (5) years after the individual ’s first semester of
enrollment in an institution of higher education within The Oklahoma
State System of Higher Educ ation.
2. The amount of assistance provided to eligible students shall
not exceed Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000.00) for the 2025 -2026
academic year and every academic year thereafter. Assistance shall
be provided on a first -come, first-served basis and shall be granted
without any limitation other than the amount of funds available for
the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy and the number of eligible
students who apply. The State Regents may, at the time assistance
is provided on behalf of an eligib le student, set aside funds in the
Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy Revo lving Fund created pursuant
to Section 2 of this act for the full commitment made to the
eligible student.
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3. Assistance provided pursuant to this subsection shall be
allocated to the institution of higher education from the Oklahoma
Teacher Recruitment Academy Revolving Fund created pursuant to
Section 2 of this act.
4. An eligible student seeking tuition and fee assistance
pursuant to this section who is eligible for federal edu cation
benefits or Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Act benefits shall
exhaust all such available benefits first.
E. To retain eligibility for the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment
Academy, an individual shall:
1. Maintain good academic standing and satisfacto ry academic
progress while enrolled in an institution of higher education
according to the institution ’s standards; and
2. After earning a bachelor ’s degree, submit annual proof of
employment with a public school in this state teaching in a critical
shortage subject area identified pursuant to subsection A of this
section. The proof shall be provided for a number of school years
equal to the number of academic years for which the individual
received tuition and mandatory fee assistance pursuant to this
section. The individual shall not be required to teach at the same
school for the number of school years required by this paragraph.
F. An individual who has received Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment
Academy assistance pursuant to this section and who fails to comply
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with the agreement executed pursuant to subsection C of this section
shall be required to repay an amount to be calculated as follows:
1. Determine the total amount of assistance provided pursuant
to the provisions of this section;
2. Divide the amount determined in paragraph 1 of this
subsection by the number of months assistance was provided; and
3. Multiply the amount determined in paragraph 2 of this
subsection by the number of months the individual did not fulfill
the requirements of the agr eement executed pursuant to subsection C
of this section. Repayments shall be deposited into the Oklahoma
Teacher Recruitment Academy Revolving Fund created pursuant to
Section 2 of this act.
G. An individual who has received Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment
Academy assistance pursuant to this section and who fails to comply
with the agreement executed pursuant to subsection C of this section
due to hardship circumstances may request a waiver from repayment
from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education .
H. An institution of higher education within The Oklahoma State
System of Higher Education that has enrolled students participating
in the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy shall develop and
promote, in coordination with surrounding public school dis tricts, a
public awareness program to make students and their parents or legal
guardians aware of the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy.
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I. On or before July 30, 202 6, and each year thereafter, the
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall electronically
submit a report to the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the
Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the chairs
of the committees with responsibility over higher education in both
houses of the Legislature. The report shal l include the following
information:
1. The number of Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy
participants enrolled in each institution of higher education by
year of enrollment;
2. The number of Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy
participants who graduat e with a bachelor’s degree from an approved
teacher preparation program and the critical shortage subject area
in which they are teaching in a public school in this state; and
3. The number of Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy
participants who fail to comply with the agreement executed pursuant
to subsection C of this section.
J. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education may
promulgate rules to implement the provisions of this section.
SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of l aw to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 6 -306 of Title 70, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
There is hereby created in the State Treasury a revolving fund
for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Educatio n to be designated
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the “Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy Revolving Fund ”. The fund
shall be a continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year limitations,
and shall consist of all monies received by the State Regents from
legislative appropriations provid ed for the purpose of implementing
the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Academy created in Section 1 of
this act. All monies accruing to the credit of the fund are hereby
appropriated and may be budgeted and expended by the State Regents
for the purpose provi ded for in this act. Expenditures from the
fund shall be made upon warrants issued by the State Treasurer
against claims filed as prescribed by law with the Director of the
Office of Management and Enterprise Services for approval and
payment.
SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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 this act shal l take effect and
be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
60-1-192 EB 12/5/2024 1:25:24 PM