Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
2 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)
3 HOUSE BILL 4262 By: Johns
4
5
6 AS INTRODUCED
7 An Act relating to teachers; amending 70 O.S. 2021,
Section 6-204.2, as amended by Section 1, Chapter
8 374, O.S.L. 2025 (70 O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 6-
204.2), which relates to the Education Leadership
9 Oklahoma program; updating Commission name; providing
for annual bonus for teachers with National Board
10 certification; removing reference to additional
salary increment; amending Section 1, Chapter 289,
11 O.S.L. 2023, as last amended by Section 2, Chapter
480, O.S.L. 2025 (70 O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 18-
12 114.15), which relates to the minimum salary
schedule; striking National Board certification
13 salary increment; providing an effective date; and
declaring an emergency.
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15
16
17 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
18 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 6-204.2, as
19 amended by Section 1, Chapter 374, O.S.L. 2025 (70 O.S. Supp. 2025,
20 Section 6-204.2), is amended to read as follows:
21 Section 6-204.2. A. The Commission for Educational Quality and
22 Accountability and the State Board of Education are authorized to
23 establish the Education Leadership Oklahoma program.
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1 B. The purposes of the Education Leadership Oklahoma program
2 are to:
3 1. Provide teachers throughout the state information about
4 National Board certification and the Education Leadership Oklahoma
5 program services;
6 2. Provide technical assistance and National-Board-certified
7 mentors to all teachers seeking National Board certification upon
8 request;
9 3. Reward teachers who are seeking National Board certification
10 by awarding them a portion of the National Board certification cost
11 as provided in subsection D of this section; and
12 4. Provide recognition to National-Board-certified teachers.
13 C. To fulfill the objectives of the Education Leadership
14 Oklahoma Act, the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation
15 Educational Quality and Accountability shall:
16 1. Inform teachers of the Education Leadership Oklahoma program
17 and services it provides to teachers seeking National Board
18 certification, emphasizing recruiting efforts toward teachers at
19 high-poverty schools, schools identified as in need of improvement
20 and in districts with the lowest percentage of teachers who have
21 achieved National Board certification; and
22 2. Ensure that all teachers seeking National Board
23 certification receive adequate information regarding the level of
24 commitment required to acquire National Board certification.
Req. No. 15206 Page 2
1 D. The Commission shall select not more than one hundred
2 applicants to participate in the program each fiscal year for whom
3 the Commission shall pay up to One Thousand Eight Hundred Dollars
4 ($1,800.00) per applicant of the National Board certification cost.
5 E. The Commission shall promulgate rules establishing a process
6 for accepting applications for the Education Leadership Oklahoma
7 program and for providing to applicants selected for the program up-
8 front payment of the National Board certification cost. If a
9 selected applicant who receives the up-front payment does not
10 fulfill all submission requirements for National Board certification
11 as established by the certification vendor within the maximum
12 allowable time frame, the applicant will be required to repay the
13 full amount of the component fees paid on his or her behalf, the
14 applicant shall repay the Commission the full amount paid by the
15 Commission pursuant to subsection D of this section. Subject to the
16 availability of funding, all selected applicants who do not receive
17 an up-front payment and successfully complete National Board
18 certification shall be reimbursed by the Commission for the National
19 Board certification cost. The total amount of reimbursement paid by
20 the Commission shall not exceed One Thousand Eight Hundred Dollars
21 ($1,800.00) per applicant.
22 F. Subject to the availability of funding, all teachers seeking
23 initial National Board certification either through the Education
24 Leadership Oklahoma Scholarship program or paying their own way
Req. No. 15206 Page 3
1 shall be eligible to participate in Education Leadership Oklahoma
2 mentoring for up to three (3) years to assist them in meeting the
3 requirements of the National Board certification process, free of
4 charge.
5 G. Subject to district board of education policy or collective
6 bargaining agreement, additional professional leave days may be
7 granted to teachers seeking National Board certification for
8 National Board certification portfolio development. During the two
9 (2) days of the additional professional days granted to teachers for
10 National Board certification portfolio development, a substitute
11 teacher shall be provided by the school district at no cost to the
12 teacher.
13 H. 1. The State Board of Education shall provide to teachers
14 who attained National Board certification prior to June 30, 2013, a
15 bonus in the amount of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) annually
16 over a ten-year period, to be paid no later than January 31 each
17 year. The Beginning July 1, 2026, the Board shall provide a bonus
18 in the amount of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) annually over a
19 five-year period, to be paid no later than January 31 each year to
20 any teacher who:
21 a. attains National Board certification after June 30,
22 2013, if the teacher was selected for the Education
23 Leadership Oklahoma program before June 30, 2013, or
24 the teacher has submitted an application for National
Req. No. 15206 Page 4
1 Board certification to the National Board for
2 Professional Teaching Standards before June 30, 2013
3 July 1, 2026,
4 b. attained National Board certification before July 1,
5 2026, and was receiving a bonus in the amount of Five
6 Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) annually, for the
7 remaining time of the ten-year period, or
8 c. attained National Board certification before July 1,
9 2026, and was receiving an additional salary increment
10 pursuant to the minimum salary schedule in Section 18-
11 114.15 of this title, for the remaining time of the
12 ten-year period.
13 2. The teachers eligible to receive the annual bonus as
14 provided for in paragraph 1 of this subsection shall receive the
15 annual bonus for the ten-year five-year duration of their National
16 Board certification or for the remaining duration of their National
17 Board certification if the teachers attained National Board
18 certification before July 1, 2026, and has less than ten (10) years
19 remaining in their certification and so long as they are teaching in
20 the classroom full-time in an Oklahoma public school. No school or
21 school district shall be liable for payment of bonuses pursuant to
22 this section. The bonus shall be funded by state dollars from the
23 lottery funds as provided for Section 713 of Title 3A and shall be
24 paid directly to eligible teachers through school districts.
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1 3. The bonus shall not be included in the calculation of the
2 teacher's salary for purposes of meeting the district or statutory
3 minimum salary schedule or for purposes of compensating Oklahoma
4 Teachers' Retirement System contributions or benefits.
5 4. Teachers eligible to receive the annual bonus as provided
6 for in paragraph 1 of this subsection shall not be eligible to
7 receive the additional salary increment for National Board
8 certification as set forth in the minimum salary schedule in Section
9 18-114.15 of this title.
10 5. Teachers who attain National Board certification after June
11 30, 2013, shall be eligible to receive the additional salary
12 increments for National Board certification as set forth in the
13 minimum salary schedule in Section 18-114.15 of this title.
14 6. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules for a
15 process by which a National-Board-certified teacher will verify
16 that:
17 a. the National Board certification has not lapsed,
18 b. the teacher is still a full-time teacher, and
19 c. for teachers eligible for the bonus, the teacher has
20 not exceeded the limit of annual bonus payments as
21 provided for in paragraph 1 of this subsection.
22 I. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Oklahoma State
23 Regents for Higher Education incorporate the National Board
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1 certification portfolio development into all programs in education
2 leading to a master's level degree.
3 SECTION 2. AMENDATORY Section 1, Chapter 289, O.S.L.
4 2023, as last amended by Section 2, Chapter 480, O.S.L. 2025 (70
5 O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 18-114.15), is amended to read as follows:
6 Section 18-114.15. A. Beginning with the 2025-2026 2026-2027
7 school year, certified personnel, as defined in Section 26-103 of
8 this title, in the public schools of this state shall receive in
9 salary and/or fringe benefits not less than the amounts specified in
10 the following schedule:
11 MINIMUM SALARY SCHEDULE
12 National
13 Years of Bachelor's Board Master's Doctor's
14 Experience Degree Certification Degree Degree
15 0 $39,601 $40,759 $40,991 $42,381
16 1 $40,035 $41,193 $41,425 $42,815
17 2 $40,469 $41,628 $41,859 $43,249
18 3 $40,904 $42,062 $42,294 $43,684
19 4 $41,338 $42,496 $42,728 $44,118
20 5 $42,810 $43,968 $44,200 $45,590
21 6 $43,273 $44,432 $44,663 $46,054
22 7 $43,737 $44,895 $45,127 $46,517
23 8 $44,200 $45,358 $45,590 $46,980
24 9 $44,663 $45,822 $46,054 $47,444
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1 10 $46,684 $47,844 $48,568 $50,945
$47,177 $48,336 $49,061 $51,438
2 11 $47,670 $48,829 $49,554 $51,931
$48,162 $49,322 $50,047 $52,424
3 12 $48,655 $49,815 $50,539 $52,916
$50,167 $51,327 $52,052 $54,430
4 13 $50,660 $51,820 $52,545 $54,923
$51,153 $52,313 $53,038 $55,416
5 14 $51,646 $52,806 $53,531 $55,909
$52,139 $53,299 $54,024 $56,402
6 15 $52,652 $53,813 $54,538 $56,917
$53,145 $54,306 $55,031 $57,410
7 16 $53,639 $54,799 $55,524 $57,903
$54,132 $55,292 $56,018 $58,397
8 17 $54,625 $55,785 $56,511 $58,890
$56,049 $57,232 $57,971 $60,395
9 18 $56,542 $57,725 $58,464 $60,888
$57,035 $58,218 $58,957 $61,381
10 19 $57,528 $58,711 $59,450 $61,874
$58,021 $59,204 $59,943 $62,367
11 20 $58,541 $59,724 $60,463 $62,887
$59,001 $60,184 $60,923 $63,347
12 21 $59,494 $60,677 $61,416 $63,840
$59,987 $61,170 $61,909 $64,333
13 22
14 23
15 24
16 25
17 26
18 27
19 28
20 29
21 30
22 31
23 32
24 33
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1 34 $60,480 $61,663 $62,402 $64,826
$60,973 $62,156 $62,895 $65,319
2 35 Master's Degree +
National Board
3 Certification
$42,149
4 Years of $42,583
$43,018
5 Experience $43,452
$43,886
6 0 $45,358
$45,822
7 1 $46,285
$46,749
8 2 $47,212
$49,728
9 3 $50,221
$50,713
10 4 $51,206
$51,699
11 5 $53,212
$53,705
12 6 $54,198
$54,691
13 7
14 8
15 9
16 10
17 11
18 12
19 13
20 14
21 15
22 16
23 17
24 18
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1 19 $55,184
2 20 $55,698
3 21 $56,192
4 22 $56,685
5 23 $57,178
6 24 $57,671
7 25 $59,153
8 26 $59,646
9 27 $60,139
10 28 $60,632
11 29 $61,125
12 30 $61,645
13 31 $62,105
14 32 $62,598
15 33 $63,091
16 34 $63,584
17 35 $64,077
18 B. 1. When determining the minimum salary schedule, "fringe
19 benefits" shall mean all or part of retirement benefits, excluding
20 the contributions made pursuant to subsection A of Section 17-108.1
21 of this title and the flexible benefit allowance pursuant to Section
22 26-105 of this title from the flexible benefit allowance funds
23 disbursed by the State Board of Education and the State Board of
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1 Career and Technology Education pursuant to Section 26-104 of this
2 title.
3 2. If a school district intends to provide retirement benefits
4 to a teacher such that the teacher's salary would be less than the
5 amounts set forth in the minimum salary schedule specified in
6 subsection A of this section, the district shall be required to
7 provide written notification to the teacher prior to his or her
8 employment or, if already employed by the district, no later than
9 thirty (30) days prior to the date the district elects to provide
10 retirement benefits such that the teacher's salary would be less
11 than the minimum salary schedule.
12 C. Any of the degrees referred to in this section shall be from
13 a college recognized by the State Board of Education. The Board
14 shall accept teaching experience from out-of-state school districts
15 that are accredited by the State Board of Education or appropriate
16 state accrediting agency for the districts. The Board shall accept
17 teaching experience from out-of-country schools that are accredited
18 or otherwise endorsed by the appropriate national or regional
19 accrediting or endorsement authority. Out-of-country certification
20 documentation in a language other than English shall be analyzed by
21 an educational credential evaluation service in accordance with
22 industry standards and guidelines and approved by the State
23 Department of Education. The person seeking to have credit granted
24 for out-of-country teaching experience shall be responsible for all
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1 costs of the analysis by a credential evaluation service. The Board
2 shall accept teaching experience from primary and secondary schools
3 that are operated by the United States Department of Defense or are
4 affiliated with the United States Department of State.
5 D. For the purpose of state salary increments and retirement,
6 no teacher shall be granted credit for more than five (5) years of
7 active duty in the military service, as defined in Section 17-113 of
8 this title, or out-of-state or out-of-country teaching experience as
9 a certified teacher or its equivalent. Nothing in this section
10 shall prohibit boards of education from crediting more years of
11 experience on district salary schedules than those allowed for state
12 purposes.
13 E. The State Board of Education shall recognize, for purposes
14 of certification and salary increments, all the years of experience
15 of a:
16 1. Certified teacher who teaches in the educational program of
17 the Department of Corrections, beginning with fiscal year 1981;
18 2. Vocational rehabilitation counselor under the Department of
19 Human Services if the counselor was employed as a certified teacher
20 by the State Department of Education when the Division of Vocational
21 Rehabilitation was transferred from the State Board of Career and
22 Technology Education or the State Board of Education to the Oklahoma
23 Public Welfare Commission on July 1, 1968;
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1 3. Vocational rehabilitation counselor which were completed
2 while employed by the Department of Human Services if such counselor
3 was certified as a teacher or was eligible for certification as a
4 teacher in this state;
5 4. Certified teacher which were completed while employed by the
6 Child Study Center located at University Hospital, if the teacher
7 was certified as a teacher in this state; and
8 5. Certified school psychologist or psychometrist which were
9 completed while employed as a doctoral intern, psychological
10 assistant, or psychologist with any agency of this state if the
11 experience primarily involved work with persons of school- or
12 preschool-age and if the person was, at the time the experience was
13 acquired, certified as, or eligible for certification as, a school
14 psychologist or psychometrist.
15 F. The provisions of this section shall not apply to teachers
16 who have entered into postretirement employment with a public school
17 in this state and are still receiving a monthly retirement benefit.
18 G. Persons employed as classroom instructional employees of
19 technology center school districts supervised by the State Board of
20 Career and Technology Education shall receive a salary increase
21 amount equal to the amount indicated in subsection A of this section
22 for the step level indicated for the person, provided they remain
23 employed by the same technology center school district, unless the
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1 hours or the duties of the classroom instructional employees are
2 reduced proportionately.
3 H. Persons employed as correctional teachers or vocational
4 instructors by the Department of Corrections pursuant to Section
5 510.6a of Title 57 of the Oklahoma Statutes or persons employed as
6 teachers by the Office of Juvenile Affairs shall receive a salary
7 increase amount equal to the amount indicated in subsection A of
8 this section for the step level indicated for the person, provided
9 they remain employed by the same Department of Corrections or Office
10 of Juvenile Affairs facility, unless the hours or the duties of the
11 correctional teachers, vocational instructors, or teachers are
12 reduced proportionately.
13 I. Persons employed as teachers by the State Department of
14 Rehabilitation Services shall receive a salary increase amount equal
15 to the amount indicated in subsection A of this section for the step
16 level indicated for the person, provided they remain employed by the
17 State Department of Rehabilitation Services, unless the hours or the
18 duties of the teachers are reduced proportionately.
19 SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2026.
20 SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
21 of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
22 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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1 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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Req. No. 15206 Page 15Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.