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1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 246 By: Deevers
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to teachers; allowing public school
7 districts and charter schools to designate certified
8 classroom teachers with certain designations for
8 certain time period; establishing minimum criteria
9 for designations; directing the State Board of
9 Education to establish certain standards; providing
10 duties of the Board and the State Department of
10 Education; allowing the Board to adopt certain fees
11 and promulgate rules; directing the Board to provide
11 Distinguished Educator Allotments for classroom
12 teachers granted certain designations; providing for
12 calculation of allotments; directing certain point
13 values to be linked to certain student academic
13 growth; providing for assignment of certain point
14 values; directing a public school district or charter
14 school to be entitled to certain increased allotments
15 for certain reimbursement; directing the State
15 Department of Education to make certain information
16 available on its website; directing public school
16 districts and charter schools that receive certain
17 funds to annually certify use of such funds;
17 providing for use of certain portion of allotments;
18 providing for allotments for certain public school
18 districts and charter schools; creating the
19 Distinguished Educator Allotments Revolving Fund;
19 specifying sources of fund; providing for
20 expenditures; providing purpose of fund; making an
20 appropriation; providing for codification; providing
21 an effective date; and declaring an emergency.
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24 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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Req. No. 1359 Page 1
1 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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2 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 18-126 of Title 70, unless there
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3 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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4 A. In accordance with the provisions of subsection B of this
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5 section, a public school district or charter school may designate a
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6 certified classroom teacher with a master, exemplary, or recognized
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7 designation for a five-year period. Public school districts and
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8 charter schools shall use the following criteria, at a minimum, to
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9 designate a certified classroom teacher:
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10 1. A recognized designation shall be awarded when generally a
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11 minimum of fifty-five percent (55%) of the teacher's students are
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12 meeting or exceeding expected growth targets;
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13 2. An exemplary designation shall be awarded when generally a
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14 minimum of sixty percent (60%) of the teacher's students are meeting
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15 or exceeding expected growth targets; and
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16 3. A master designation shall be awarded when generally a
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17 minimum of seventy percent (70%) of the teacher's students are
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18 meeting or exceeding expected growth targets.
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19 B. The State Board of Education shall establish performance and
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20 validity standards for local optional teacher designation systems.
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21 The performance standards shall:
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22 1. Provide a mathematical possibility that all teachers
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23 eligible for a designation may earn the designation;
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1 2. Provide a process to weight designations to incentivize
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2 individual student academic growth in English language arts,
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3 mathematics, and writing; and
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4 3. Require a quantitative metric for teacher designation
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5 assessment and evaluation.
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6 C. The State Board of Education shall:
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7 1. Ensure that local optional teacher designation systems meet
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8 the requirements of subsection B of this section; and
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9 2. Collaborate with the Office of Educational Quality and
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10 Accountability to monitor the quality and fairness of local optional
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11 teacher designation systems in accordance with the provisions of
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12 this section.
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13 D. The State Department of Education shall:
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14 1. Develop and provide technical assistance for public school
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15 districts and charter schools that request assistance in
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16 implementing a local optional teacher designation system;
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17 2. Periodically conduct evaluations of the effectiveness of the
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18 local optional teacher designation systems implemented pursuant to
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19 this section and the Distinguished Educator Allotments implemented
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20 pursuant to Section 2 of this act and electronically report the
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21 results of the evaluations to the Governor, the President Pro
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22 Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
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23 Representatives. A public school district or charter school that
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24 has implemented a local optional teacher designation system or
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Req. No. 1359 Page 3
1 received Distinguished Educator Allotment funds pursuant to Section
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2 2 of this act shall participate in the evaluations; and
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3 3. Collect information necessary to implement the provisions of
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4 this section.
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5 E. The State Board of Education may adopt fees to implement the
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6 provisions of this section and may promulgate rules to implement the
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7 provisions of this section.
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8 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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9 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 18-126.1 of Title 70, unless
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10 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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11 A. The State Board of Education shall provide Distinguished
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12 Educator Allotments for each classroom teacher granted a master,
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13 exemplary, or recognized teacher designation pursuant to the
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14 provisions of Section 1 of this act who is employed by a public
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15 school district or charter school. The employing public school
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16 district or charter school shall receive an amount equal to the
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17 following base amounts increased by the pupil category factor
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18 provided for in subsection B of this section:
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19 1. Twelve Thousand Dollars ($12,000.00), or an increased amount
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20 not to exceed Thirty-two Thousand Dollars ($32,000.00) as determined
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21 pursuant to subsection B of this section, for each teacher with a
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22 master designation;
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23 2. Six Thousand Dollars ($6,000.00), or an increased amount not
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24 to exceed Eighteen Thousand Dollars ($18,000.00) as determined
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Req. No. 1359 Page 4
1 pursuant to subsection B of this section, for each teacher with an
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2 exemplary designation; and
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3 3. Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000.00), or an increased amount
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4 not to exceed Nine Thousand Dollars ($9,000.00) as determined
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5 pursuant to subsection B of this section, for each teacher with a
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6 recognized designation.
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7 B. The pupil category factor shall be determined by multiplying
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8 the following applicable amounts by the point value assigned to each
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9 student at a public school district or charter school campus
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10 pursuant to subsection D of this section:
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11 1. Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00) for each teacher with a
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12 master designation;
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13 2. One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00) for each
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14 teacher with an exemplary designation; and
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15 3. One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) for each teacher with a
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16 recognized designation.
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17 C. Point values determined by the public school district or
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18 charter school for each student shall be linked to student academic
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19 growth in reading or mathematics recorded by statewide student
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20 assessments administered pursuant to Section 1210.508 of Title 70 of
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21 the Oklahoma Statutes through calculation of individual student
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22 performance levels and corresponding cut scores determined by the
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23 Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability pursuant to
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24 Section 1210.541 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Below basic
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Req. No. 1359 Page 5
1 low, below basic high, basic low, basic high, proficient low,
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2 proficient high, advanced low, and advanced high shall have the same
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3 meaning as the the academic growth indicator adopted by the State
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4 Board of Education for the accountability system adopted pursuant to
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5 Section 1210.545 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
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6 D. Point values for each student at a public school district or
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7 charter school shall be assigned as follows:
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8 1. Zero (0) points for a student who experienced no change in
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9 performance level from the previous year to the current year;
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10 2. One-quarter (0.25) point for performance level increases of:
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11 a. below basic low in the previous year to below basic
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12 high in the current year,
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13 b. basic low in the previous year to basic high in the
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14 current year,
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15 c. proficient low in the previous year to proficient high
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16 in the current year, and
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17 d. advanced low in the previous year to advanced high in
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18 the current year;
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19 3. One-half (0.5) point for a performance level increase from
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20 proficient low or proficient high in the previous year to advanced
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21 low or advanced high in the current year;
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22 4. Two (2.0) points for a performance level increase from below
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23 basic low or below basic high in the previous year to basic low or
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24 basic high in the current year;
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Req. No. 1359 Page 6
1 5. Three (3.0) points for a performance level increase from
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2 basic low or basic high in the previous year to proficient low or
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3 proficient high in the current year;
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4 6. Four (4.0) points for a performance level increase from
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5 basic low or basic high in the previous year to advanced low or
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6 advanced high in the current year;
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7 7. Five points (5.0) for a performance level increase from
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8 below basic low or below basic high in the previous year to
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9 proficient low or proficient high in the current year;
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10 8. Six points (6.0) for a performance level increase from below
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11 basic low or below basic high in the previous year to advanced low
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12 or advanced high in the current year; and
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13 9. For any student whose performance level decreased or moved
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14 inversely to the changes described in paragraphs 2 through 8 of this
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15 subsection, the assigned point value shall be the negative
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16 equivalent of the corresponding positive point value.
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17 Performance levels for the current year shall mean mathematics or
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18 reading performance levels calculated based on a student's
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19 performance on statewide student assessments completed the year the
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20 student was taught by a teacher with a designation.
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21 E. A public school district or charter school shall be entitled
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22 to receive increased Distinguished Educator Allotments pursuant to
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23 this section in the amount necessary for reimbursement for any fees
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24 paid pursuant to Section 1 of this act.
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Req. No. 1359 Page 7
1 F. The State Department of Education shall annually make
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2 available to the public on its website a list of public school
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3 districts and charter schools with the projected Distinguished
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4 Educator Allotments per teacher designation at each public school
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5 district or charter school campus.
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6 G. A public school district or charter school shall annually
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7 certify that funds received pursuant to this section were used in
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8 the following manner:
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9 1. At least ninety percent (90%) of each allotment received
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10 pursuant to subsection B of this section was used for increased
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11 compensation of a teacher with a master, exemplary, or recognized
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12 designation; and
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13 2. Any other funds received pursuant to this section were used
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14 for costs associated with implementing Section 1 of this act
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15 including efforts to support teachers in obtaining master,
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16 exemplary, or recognized designations.
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17 H. The portion of the Distinguished Educator Allotments used
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18 for increased compensation of the teacher shall:
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19 1. Be awarded for as long as the teacher maintains his or her
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20 designation according to the local optional teacher designation
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21 system adopted pursuant to Section 1 of this act;
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22 2. Not be a part of a continuing contract of a teacher;
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23 3. Not be considered as salary and/or fringe benefits pursuant
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24 to Section 18-114.15 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
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Req. No. 1359 Page 8
1 4. Be excluded from the compensation of a teacher for the
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2 purposes of calculating retirement pursuant to the Teachers'
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3 Retirement System of Oklahoma; and
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4 5. Not be subject to taxes levied by the Federal Insurance
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5 Contributions Act (FICA), to the extent such an exemption is
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6 provided by federal law.
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7 I. A public school district or charter school responsible for
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8 instruction of students during their first year participating in
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9 statewide student assessments administered pursuant to Section
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10 1210.508 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes shall receive
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11 Distinguished Educator Allotments per teacher. Point values for
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12 each student at a public school district or charter school subject
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13 to the provisions of this subsection shall be assigned as follows:
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14 1. Zero (0.0) points for a student who performs at or below the
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15 state average in academic performance in mathematics or reading;
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16 2. Two (2.0) points for a student who performs above the state
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17 average in academic performance in mathematics or reading;
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18 3. Negative one (-1.0) point for a student who performs below
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19 basic low or below basic high in academic performance in mathematics
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20 or reading; and
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21 4. Negative one-half (-0.5) point for a students who performs
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22 basic low in academic performance in mathematics or reading.
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Req. No. 1359 Page 9
1 SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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2 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 18-126.2 of Title 70, unless
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3 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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4 There is hereby created in the State Treasury a revolving fund
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5 for the State Board of Education to be designated the "Distinguished
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6 Educator Allotments Revolving Fund". The fund shall be a continuing
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7 fund, not subject to fiscal year limitations, and shall consist of
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8 all monies received by the State Board of Education from state
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9 appropriations provided for the purpose of implementing the
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10 provisions of Sections 1 and 2 of this act. All monies accruing to
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11 the credit of the fund are hereby appropriated and may be budgeted
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12 and expended by the State Board of Education for the purpose
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13 provided for in this section. Expenditures from the fund shall be
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14 made upon warrants issued by the State Treasurer against claims
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15 filed as prescribed by law with the Director of the Office of
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16 Management and Enterprise Services for approval and payment.
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17 SECTION 4. There is hereby appropriated to the Distinguished
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18 Educator Allotments Revolving Fund created pursuant to Section 3 of
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19 this act from any monies not otherwise appropriated from the General
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20 Revenue Fund of the State Treasury for the fiscal year ending June
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21 30, 2023, the sum of Fifty Million Dollars ($50,000,000.00) or so
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22 much thereof as may be necessary to implement the provisions of
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23 Sections 1 and 2 of this act.
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24 SECTION 5. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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Req. No. 1359 Page 10
1 SECTION 6. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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2 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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3 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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4 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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Req. No. 1359 Page 11Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.