The School Funding Reform Bill — House Bill 2078 — passed the House general assembly Feb. 24 with a vote of 68-30. The Funding Reform Bill, like its counterpart House Bill 2074 (open transfer), generated much debate. Given the extended duration of the floor proceedings, we have divided the video footage into four distinct partsContinue reading School Funding Reform Bill Passes House Floor
The Open Transfer Act (HB 2074) generated much debate on the House floor Wednesday, Feb. 24 prior to its passage with a vote of 77-22. To view the video footage of the House floor proceedings, please follow the links provided below. Given the extended duration of the floor proceedings , we have divided the videoContinue reading Open Transfer Act Passes House Floor
Senate Bill 807 — a POE request bill — authored by Sen. Chris Kidd ensures that all school support employees, just like certified staff, will be paid in the event of a school closure due to a pandemic or other health emergency. SB 807 passed the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 23 with aContinue reading Pandemic Pay for School Support Employees Passes Committee — SB 807
Update: Open Transfer Act Passes House Floor 02/25/21 The Open Transfer Act, promoted by Gov. Kevin Stitt during his State of the State address, passed the House Education Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 16 with a vote of 11-3. This Act, numbered House Bill 2074, proposes to implement specific measures that would make the transfer ofContinue reading The Open Transfer Act Passes House Education Committee (HB 2074)
Article Updated Feb. 25 The teacher shortage problem in Oklahoma is a serious issue. According to the state’s 2018 Supply & Demand Report, Oklahoma has lost teachers at an average rate of 5,000 teachers per year over the last decade, with retirement accounting for only 10% of that figure. To counteract this trend, several billsContinue reading Altering the Teacher Certification Process: Key Bills
POE often receives reports that teachers are overwhelmed by the amount of reoccurring professional learning courses required each year — like the annual bloodborne pathogen training, for example. Many teachers would prefer to opt out of such trainings and pass an exam or simply take the training courses less frequently, like every 3rd or 5thContinue reading Altering Professional Learning Requirements — HB 1593
Professional Oklahoma Educators sits down with Secretary of Education Ryan Walters to chat with him about his new role as Secretary and the impact he hopes to have statewide on education. Secretary Walters also has a special message for teachers you won’t want to miss!
Gov. Kevin Stitt, on Wednesday of this week, announced that all school employees will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as early as February 22nd. This development allows for approximately 89,000 public school employees, if they so choose, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the next several weeks. In December, Gov. Stitt and SecretaryContinue reading Vaccine Available to All School Employees Starting Feb. 22nd
Sometimes you just have to jump up, run around, and shake the all wiggles out! The Play to Learn Act, authored by Rep. Jacob Rosecrants, understands this truth. This bipartisan-supported act, also known as House Bill 1569, aims to get children actively involved in the learning process through play-based curriculum and focused movement. “I genuinelyContinue reading Play to Learn (House Bill 1569)
Article Updated: Wednesday, Feb. 24 On Tuesday, Feb. 23 the Oklahoma Senate confirmed Trent Smith’s nomination to the State Board of Education by a vote of 38-9. The former OU football captain’s nomination previously advanced through the Senate Education Committee with a 10-3 vote on Feb. 9. Gov. Kevin Stitt nominated Smith to the stateContinue reading Trent Smith’s SBE Nomination Confirmed by Senate
