An act relating to schools, the official text

1                       STATE OF OKLAHOMA

2   2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)

3 HOUSE BILL 3461               By: Hays

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5

6                               AS INTRODUCED

7   An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2021,

    Section 5-141, which relates to administrator

8   compensation and benefits; updating internal

    citations; prohibiting school districts from paying

9   certain administrator expenses with State Aid funds;

    requiring certain administrative expenditures to be

10  paid with local revenue; defining term; and providing

    an effective date.

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13 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:

14  SECTION 1.      AMENDATORY  70 O.S. 2021, Section 5-141, is

15 amended to read as follows:

16  Section 5-141. A. Each school district of this state shall

17 adopt a minimum salary schedule and shall transmit a copy of it to

18 the State Board of Education within thirty (30) days after adoption.

19 A school district shall not calculate salaries of teachers solely as

20 a proportion of the salaries of the administrators of the district.

21  B. Districts shall be encouraged to provide compensation

22 schedules to reflect district policies and circumstances, including

23 differential pay for different subject areas and special incentives

24 for teachers in districts with specific geographical attributes.

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1 Districts may also adopt a salary schedule that provides additional

2 compensation for achieving certain ratings under the Oklahoma

3 Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Evaluation System (TLE) as set

4 forth in Section 6 6-101.16 of this act title. Any salary schedule

5 adopted by a district pursuant to this section shall not set

6 salaries at amounts less than those set pursuant to Section 18-

7 114.12 18-114.15 of this title.

8   C. The State Department of Education shall compile a report of

9 the minimum salary schedules for every school district in the state

10 and shall submit the report to the Governor, Speaker of the House of

11 Representatives, and President Pro Tempore of the Senate no later

12 than December 15 of each year.

13  D. Each school district shall file within fifteen (15) days of

14 signing the contract, the employment contract of the superintendent

15 of the school district with the State Department of Education. The

16 Department shall keep all contracts available for inspection by the

17 public. The school district shall not be authorized to pay any

18 salary, benefits or other compensation to a superintendent which are

19 not specified in the contract on file and shall not pay

20 administrators any amounts for accumulated sick leave that are not

21 calculated on the same formula used for determining payment for

22 accumulated sick leave benefits for other full-time employees of

23 that school district and shall not pay administrators any amounts

24 for accumulated vacation leave benefits that are not calculated on

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1 the same formula used for determining payment for accumulated

2 vacation leave benefits for other twelve-month full-time employees

3 of that school district.

4   E. By October 1 of each year each district board of education

5 shall prepare a schedule of salaries and fringe benefits paid

6 administrators employed by the district, including a description of

7 the fringe benefits. The schedule shall be a public record and

8 shall be disclosed as required by the Oklahoma Open Records Act.

9 The board shall file a copy of the schedule with the State

10 Department of Education within one week of completion.

11  F. No severance payment, contract buyout, or termination

12 settlement paid to a superintendent or other central office

13 administrator shall be paid with State Aid funds received through

14 the State Aid Formula, including any state supplements thereto. All

15 such payments shall be considered excess administrative expenditures

16 and shall be funded exclusively with local revenue.

17  G. For purposes of this section the:

18  1. The term "administrator" shall include employees who are

19 employed and certified as superintendents, assistant

20 superintendents, principals, and assistant principals and who have

21 responsibilities for supervising classroom teachers; and

22  2. "Administrative expenditures" means expenditures for central

23 office administration and executive management, including but not

24 limited to:

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1   a. compensation, benefits, stipends, bonuses, and

2   allowances for superintendents and assistant

3   superintendents,

4   b. compensation and benefits for central office

5   administrators and executive staff,

6   c. severance payments, contract buyouts, termination

7   settlements, or separation agreements for

8   administrative personnel,

9   d. vehicle, housing, or similar allowances provided to

10  administrative personnel,

11  e. payments to consultants or contractors performing

12  executive, managerial, or administrative functions,

13  and

14  f. payments made through interlocal agreements or

15  education service cooperatives for administrative or

16  management services.

17  SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.

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19  60-2-15894      SW  01/13/26

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