Have the requirements to teach in Oklahoma changed recently? Have they been drastically lowered? If you scanned Twitter or Facebook this past weekend, you probably received mixed answers to the above questions. The social media storm centering on the questions followed a Friday news article claiming that Oklahoma teachers no longer need a college degreeContinue reading Oklahoma Teacher Requirments: Have They Changed?
Hundreds of thousands of US students are now attending school four days a week. The four-day school week, in recent years, has exploded to more than 1,600 schools across 24 different states, according to a 2021 study. And the four-day trend shows no signs of slowing down. West Texas, for example, is expected to experienceContinue reading Four-Day School Weeks: Innovative or Harmful? Legislative Study to Investigate
School Security in Oklahoma In light of the recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, and other reports of violent school incidents, the Oklahoma Legislature is conducting an interim study on school security. The study will consider security practices in Oklahoma schools and address proposals to improve such practices. Members of the Oklahoma Legislature requested the participationContinue reading School Security: Survey Results and Upcoming Legislative Study
The recent bipartisan success of defeating SB 1647—universal school vouchers—has not gone unnoticed. But what has escaped the public spotlight is the long-term strategy to erode the advocacy of teachers and school employees in Oklahoma. Two bills—SB 634 and SB 1592—are part of this strategy. Under the guise of helping school employees, these bills aimContinue reading Two Bills Aim to Hurt Teacher Advocacy in Oklahoma
Professional Oklahoma Educators (POE) conducts several member surveys on important education topics and bills each legislative session. These surveys help the POE government affairs team understand the thoughts, concerns, and positions of POE members on important legislative matters. The survey results direct POE’s lobbying efforts and provide firsthand data to lawmakers. POE’s first survey ofContinue reading POE’s Legislative Survey #1—Results
Article Updated March 9, 2021 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. On Tuesday, March 9, SB 807 passed theContinue reading Update: Pandemic Pay for School Support Employees Passes Senate
Article Updated March 11, 2021 Sometimes you just have to jump up, run around, and shake all the wiggles out! The Play to Learn Act, authored by Rep. Jacob Rosecrants, understands this truth. This bipartisan-supported act, numbered House Bill 1569, aims to get children actively involved in the learning process through play-based curriculum and focusedContinue reading The Play to Learn Act: A Refocusing of Early Childhood Education
Due process — innocent until proven guilty — is an American principle. But for many years, certain entities in Oklahoma have used a loophole in the law to deprive teachers of this right —let me explain. In rare occasions, teachers are accused of a crime and criminal charges are filed. The justice system then followsContinue reading Due Process For Teachers: Why SB 13 Matters
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
