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
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 62 By: Bergstrom
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2021,
7 Section 3-129.11, which relates to the School
8 District Empowerment Program; updating statutory
8 language and references; removing language requiring
9 participating school districts to make certain
9 payroll deductions; removing obsolete language;
10 amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 5-139, which relates
10 to school employee payroll deductions; prohibiting
11 school districts from making school employee payroll
11 deductions for professional organization dues and
12 political contributions; providing an effective date;
12 and declaring an emergency.
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15 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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16 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 3-129.11, is
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17 amended to read as follows:
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18 Section 3-129.11. A. There is hereby established the School
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19 District Empowerment Program which shall be administered by the
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20 State Board of Education. The purpose of the program is to empower
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21 locally elected school district board of education members to govern
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22 school districts and make decisions based on the needs of their
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23 students and circumstances.
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Req. No. 570 Page 1
1 B. 1. Subject to the provisions of this section, a school
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2 district shall be allowed to submit a request to the State Board of
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3 Education for an exemption from all statutory requirements and State
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4 Board of Education rules from which charter schools are exempt, as
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5 provided for in the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act. Any request for
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6 exemption shall include a plan which outlines the goals sought to be
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7 achieved at a minimum, include the educational and fiscal benefits,
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8 and the anticipated impacts or outcomes the plan will have in the
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9 district.
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10 2. Within ninety (90) days after receiving the request and
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11 plan, the State Board of Education shall approve or disapprove the
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12 request. If the State Board does not approve the request, it shall
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13 provide to the school district a written explanation of the basis
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14 for its decision. The school district may resubmit an amended
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15 request at any time after the denial. The request shall be approved
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16 by the State Board before implementation by the school district. An
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17 approved request and plan shall be for no longer than three (3)
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18 years. Prior to the beginning of the third year, the school
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19 district may apply for renewal of the approved request and plan.
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20 The school district shall be required to submit an annual report and
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21 the State Board shall annually assess the academic achievement and
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22 fiscal status of the school district.
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23 C. Nothing in this section shall prevent a school district
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24 board of education from choosing to follow any or all state laws,
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Req. No. 570 Page 2
1 rules, or regulations from which a charter school is exempt. A
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2 school district which has been granted approval by the State Board
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3 for exemption as set forth in subsection B of this section shall
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4 have the option to adopt policies to implement any requirement for
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5 the school district that is consistent with any statutory
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6 requirement or, mandate, or State Board administrative rule, but a
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7 participating school shall comply with the following requirements:
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8 1. Students who reside in the school district shall be entitled
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9 to attend school in the district as set forth in Section 1-114 of
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10 this title;
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11 2. School districts shall comply with the requirements of the
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12 minimum salary schedule for teachers as set forth in Section 18-
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13 114.12 18-114.15 of this title;
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14 3. Employees of school districts shall continue to participate
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15 as members of the Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma as set
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16 forth in Section 17-101 et seq. of this title;
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17 4. School districts shall comply with the requirement to
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18 provide a health insurance plan for school district employees as set
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19 forth in Section 5-117.5 of this title and to establish or make
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20 available to school district employees a cafeteria plan as set forth
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21 in Section 26-104 of this title;
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22 5. School districts shall require any person employed by the
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23 school district to file with the district board of education a
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24 current Oklahoma criminal history record check from the Oklahoma
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Req. No. 570 Page 3
1 State Bureau of Investigation as well as a national criminal history
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2 record check as defined in Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma
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3 Statutes. Each district shall adopt a policy regarding criminal
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4 history record checks as set forth in Section 5-142 of this title;
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5 6. School districts shall comply with the requirement to
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6 evaluate teachers and to train personnel designated to conduct
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7 personnel evaluations as set forth in Sections 6-101.10 and 6-101.11
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8 of this title, the dismissal and due process procedures for
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9 administrators as set forth in Sections 6-101.13 through 6-101.15 of
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10 this title and the due process procedures for teachers as set forth
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11 in Sections 6-101.21 through 6-101.26 of this title;
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12 7. School districts shall comply with the requirement to make
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13 payroll deductions for either or both professional organization dues
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14 and political contributions upon the request of an employee as set
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15 forth in Section 5-139 of this title;
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16 8. School districts shall comply with the dismissal and due
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17 process procedures for education support employees as set forth in
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18 Sections 6-101.40 through 6-101.47 of this title;
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19 9. 8. School districts shall employ as teachers, counselors,
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20 librarians, school nurses, superintendents, principals, supervisors,
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21 or any other instructional, supervisory, or administrative employee
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22 only those persons who are certified by the State Board of Education
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23 in accordance with the Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act, except for
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1 persons exempt from the certification requirements as otherwise
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2 provided by law;
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3 10. 9. School districts shall provide for negotiations between
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4 school employees and school districts as set forth in Sections 509.1
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5 through 509.11 of this title;
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6 11. 10. School districts shall be required to offer and
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7 students enrolled in the school district shall be required to
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8 complete the curriculum requirements as set forth in Section 11-
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9 103.6 of this title;
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10 12. Students enrolled in the school district shall be required
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11 to demonstrate mastery of the state academic content standards as
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12 set forth in Section 1210.523 of this title; and
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13 13. 11. Members of the school district board of education shall
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14 be required to satisfy the instruction and continuing education
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15 requirements as set forth in Sections 5-110, 5-110.1, and 5-110.2 of
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16 this title.
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17 SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 5-139, is
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18 amended to read as follows:
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19 Section 5-139. School districts shall make be prohibited from
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20 making payroll deductions for either or both professional
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21 organization dues and political contributions at the written request
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22 of any school employee and shall transmit deducted funds to the
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23 organization designated by the school district employee. Such
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24 deductions shall be on a ten-month basis unless otherwise designated
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1 by the employee organization. However, a school employee may
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2 request at any time in writing, including by email or fax, for the
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3 school district to immediately terminate or initiate payroll
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4 deductions to a professional organization. Upon receipt of any
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5 written request, the school district shall within five (5) business
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6 days or by the next pay period, whichever is earlier, terminate or
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7 initiate any future payroll deductions of the requesting school
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8 employee to a professional organization. Upon receipt of a written
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9 request, the school district shall notify the professional
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10 organization of the initiation or termination of payroll deductions
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11 within fifteen (15) business days. If the request is to terminate a
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12 deduction, the school district shall not make any advance payments
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13 to any professional organization of any future dues on behalf of the
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14 school employee. No school district policy or negotiated agreement
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15 shall place any other conditions or requirements, including but not
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16 limited to personal hand delivery, upon any employee to initiate or
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17 terminate any payroll deduction to a professional organization
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18 except for a written request as outlined in this section. Any
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19 school district policy or provision in a negotiated agreement that
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20 places additional conditions or requirements on initiation or
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21 termination beyond those outlined in this section shall be null and
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22 void. A school district which fails to terminate payroll deductions
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23 for an employee in accordance with this section shall immediately
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24 reimburse the employee the amount of all payroll deductions made by
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1 the school district after the employee's request, and the amount due
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2 the employee shall double every thirty (30) days until paid in full.
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3 SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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4 SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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5 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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6 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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7 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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9 60-1-570 EB 1/19/2025 5:40:10 AM
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Req. No. 570 Page 7Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.