The Play to Learn Act: A Refocusing of Early Childhood Education

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

School Funding Reform Bill Passes House Floor

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

Pandemic Pay for School Support Employees Passes Committee — SB 807

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

The Open Transfer Act Passes House Education Committee (HB 2074)

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)

Altering the Teacher Certification Process: Key Bills

Article Updated March 1, 2021 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, severalContinue reading Altering the Teacher Certification Process: Key Bills

Altering Professional Learning Requirements — HB 1593

Article Updated March 1, 2021 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,Continue reading Altering Professional Learning Requirements — HB 1593

Vaccine Available to All School Employees Starting Feb. 22nd

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