1| STATE OF OKLAHOMA | | | 2| 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025) | | | 3|HOUSE BILL 2242 By: Waldron | | | 4| | | | 5| | | | 6| AS INTRODUCED | | | 7| An Act relating to higher education; amending 70 O.S. | | 2021, Section 698.1, as last amended by Section 1, | 8| Chapter 249, O.S.L. 2023 (70 O.S. Supp. 2024, Section | | 698.1), which relates to the Inspired to Teach | 9| Program; requiring the State Regents to establish | | certain program for certain advanced degrees; | 10| providing for scholarships for certain advanced | | degrees; modifying definition; requiring certain | 11| agreement by advanced degree program participants; | | adding certain advanced degree participants to | 12| incentive payments; providing an effective date; and | | declaring an emergency. | 13| | | | 14| | | | 15|BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: | | | 16| SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 698.1, as | | | 17|last amended by Section 1, Chapter 249, O.S.L. 2023 (70 O.S. Supp. | | | 18|2024, Section 698.1), is amended to read as follows: | | | 19| Section 698.1. A. 1. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher | | | 20|Education shall establish and maintain an incentive scholarship | | | 21|program and teacher employment incentive program, as funding is | | | 22|available, to encourage the preparation of public school teachers | | | 23|for prekindergarten through twelfth grade, including minority | | | 24|teachers, at all state public higher education institutions or | | | Req. No. 11708 Page 1 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|private higher education institutions accredited pursuant to Section | | | 2|4103 of this title and incentivize employment as public teachers for | | | 3|prekindergarten through twelfth grade in the state for at least five | | | 4|(5) years, to be known as the Inspired to Teach Program. | | | 5|Prospective teachers planning to pursue an undergraduate teacher | | | 6|education program at an accredited Oklahoma teacher preparation | | | 7|program shall be considered if they graduated from high school, | | | 8|completed high-school level instruction at home, or completed | | | 9|General Educational Development (GED) test requirements; meet the | | | 10|higher education admission standards; and declare a pre-education | | | 11|major or major in an approved Oklahoma teacher preparation degree | | | 12|program leading to a standard teaching certificate. | | | 13|B.2. To the extent that funds are available, scholarships, | | | 14|renewable for up to three (3) additional years for qualified | | | 15|students meeting satisfactory academic progress standards in | | | 16|completing a teacher preparation degree program leading to a | | | 17|standard teaching certificate, shall be awarded to cover costs of | | | 18|tuition, general enrollment fees, other fees, books, materials, and | | | 19|services provided by the institution, including room and board, in | | | 20|the following manner: | | | 21|1.| | | 22|a. One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) per academic year | | | 23| for up to three (3) academic years for full-time | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 11708 Page 2 ___________________________________________________________________________
1| students who have earned less than ninety (90) credit | | | 2| hours; and | | | 3|2.| | | 4| b. Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) for the | | | 5| final academic year for full-time students who have | | | 6| earned ninety (90) or more credit hours. | | | 7| The maximum amount of scholarship funds awarded as provided in | | | 8|this subsection to any qualified student shall not exceed Five | | | 9|Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($5,500.00). | | | 10| B. 1. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall | | | 11|establish and maintain an incentive scholarship program and | | | 12|incentive program, as funding is available, to encourage the | | | 13|advanced education of public school counselors, speech pathologists, | | | 14|special education teachers, and school administrators, at all state | | | 15|public higher education institutions or private higher education | | | 16|institutions accredited pursuant to Section 4103 of this title and | | | 17|incentivize employment as public school employees for at least five | | | 18|(5) years, to be included in the Inspired to Teach Program. | | | 19|Prospective school counselors, speech pathologists, special | | | 20|education teachers, and school administrators planning to pursue a | | | 21|graduate degree in school counseling, speech pathology, special | | | 22|education, or school administration at an accredited Oklahoma | | | 23|graduate degree program shall be considered if they: | | | 24| a. have an undergraduate degree, | | | Req. No. 11708 Page 3 ___________________________________________________________________________
1| b. meet the higher education admission standards for the | | | 2| graduate degree program, and | | | 3| c. declare a major in an approved Oklahoma graduate | | | 4| degree program for school counseling, speech | | | 5| pathology, special education, or school | | | 6| administration. | | | 7| 2. To the extent that funds are available, scholarships, | | | 8|renewable for up to two (2) additional years for qualified students | | | 9|meeting satisfactory academic progress standards in completing a | | | 10|graduate degree program, shall be awarded to cover costs of tuition, | | | 11|general enrollment fees, other fees, books, materials, and services | | | 12|provided by the institution, including room and board, in the | | | 13|following manner: | | | 14| a. One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) per academic year | | | 15| for up to two (2) academic years for full-time | | | 16| students who have earned less than ninety (90) credit | | | 17| hours, and | | | 18| b. Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) for the | | | 19| final academic year for full-time students who have | | | 20| earned ninety (90) or more credit hours. | | | 21| The maximum amount of scholarship funds awarded as provided in | | | 22|this subsection to any qualified student shall not exceed Five | | | 23|Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($4,500.00). | | | 24| C. As used in this section, "full-time student" means: | | | Req. No. 11708 Page 4 ___________________________________________________________________________
1| 1. An undergraduate student enrolled in twelve (12) or more | | | 2|semester credits toward teacher education degree requirements; | | | 3| 2. An undergraduate student who is a teacher education major | | | 4|who is enrolled in or has completed an internship or student | | | 5|teaching credit hours in order to complete the degree program prior | | | 6|to certification and who has been approved to take less than twelve | | | 7|(12) credit hours;or| | | 8| 3. An undergraduate student who is a teacher education major | | | 9|with an approved reasonable accommodation from Student Accessibility | | | 10|Services at the institution due to a documented disability and who | | | 11|has been approved to take less than twelve (12) credit hours; or | | | 12| 4. A graduate student enrolled in nine (9) or more semester | | | 13|credits toward graduate degree requirements. | | | 14| D. It is the intent of the Oklahoma Legislature that the | | | 15|Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education create a committee | | | 16|composed of educators, teacher educators from the participating | | | 17|institutions, and representatives of the public schools and the | | | 18|State Department of Education to provide recommendations to the | | | 19|State Regents to improve effectiveness of the Inspired to Teach | | | 20|Program. The committee shall prepare and deliver a report on the | | | 21|program to the Legislature on or before July 1 of each year. | | | 22| E. Each scholarship participant, prior to entry into the | | | 23|Inspired to Teach Program, shall have agreed toteachbe employed in | | | 24|an Oklahoma public prekindergarten through twelfth grade school for | | | Req. No. 11708 Page 5 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|a minimum of five (5) consecutive years upon either graduation and | | | 2|licensure as a teacher or graduation with a graduate degree in | | | 3|school counseling, speech pathology, special education, or school | | | 4|administration. Any scholarship participant failing to maintain a | | | 5|2.5 grade point average throughout matriculation, changing to an | | | 6|ineligible area of study, failing to meet satisfactory academic | | | 7|progress standards, withdrawing or otherwise leaving school, or | | | 8|failing to meet requirements for licensure and certification to | | | 9|teach as established by law shall be subject to disqualification | | | 10|from the program. | | | 11| F. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education are | | | 12|authorized to make employment incentive payments pursuant to the | | | 13|provisions of this section to Inspired to Teach Program participants | | | 14|who are employed as traditionally certified teachers in Oklahoma | | | 15|public prekindergarten through twelfth grade schools following | | | 16|graduation or who are employed as school counselors, speech | | | 17|pathologists, special education teachers, or school administrators. | | | 18|Incentive payments may be awarded following each consecutive year of | | | 19|satisfactory service as documented by the employing school district, | | | 20|up to five (5) years of service for scholarship recipients as | | | 21|provided insubsectionsubsections A and B of this section, upon | | | 22|graduation from an accredited Oklahoma teacher preparation degree | | | 23|program. The maximum amount of employment incentive payments for | | | 24|any qualified participant shall be Four Thousand Dollars ($4,000.00) | | | Req. No. 11708 Page 6 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|per year for up to five (5) years, not to exceed a total of Twenty | | | 2|Thousand Dollars ($20,000.00) per participant. | | | 3| G. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall | | | 4|require the execution of appropriate contracts with eligible | | | 5|Inspired to Teach Program participants. Participants failing to | | | 6|comply with the requirements of this section or failing to provide | | | 7|current contact information shall not be eligible for the employment | | | 8|incentive payments provided for in this section. The Chancellor of | | | 9|the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, with the approval | | | 10|of the State Regents, may contract with any other appropriate | | | 11|organization or unit of government for the administration of the | | | 12|provisions of this section. | | | 13| H. If sufficient funds are not available for employment | | | 14|incentive payments to qualified participants during any fiscal year, | | | 15|the Chancellor may make reductions in the payments made to qualified | | | 16|participants. | | | 17| I. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education may, at the | | | 18|time an award is made on behalf of the Inspired to Teach Program, | | | 19|set aside funds for the full commitment made to an eligible student. | | | 20| J. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education may utilize | | | 21|Inspired to Teach Program designated funds for administration of the | | | 22|program. | | | 23| SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025. | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 11708 Page 7 ___________________________________________________________________________
1| SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation | | | 2|of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby | | | 3|declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and | | | 4|be in full force from and after its passage and approval. | | | 5| | | | 6| 60-1-11708 AQH 12/13/24 | | | 7| | | | 8| | | | 9| | | | 10| | | | 11| | | | 12| | | | 13| | | | 14| | | | 15| | | | 16| | | | 17| | | | 18| | | | 19| | | | 20| | | | 21| | | | 22| | | | 23| | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 11708 Page 8