Gov. Stitt signs two bills into law to incentivize teachers in Oklahoma

Earlier this week, Gov. Stitt signed two bills into law to incentivize educators to stay in the career or come back into the classroom. 

“This is happening nationwide. We're at a shortage of teachers and we can talk about recruiting teachers, but it takes a while to get them through the classroom, get them to college and get them prepared,” said Rep. Dick Lowe, R-Chickasha. 

Rep. Lowe sponsored House Bill 1087, which adds minimum pay requirements for educators who have been in the field for up to 35 years. 

“I have watched a lot of other really talented colleagues seek better compensation in neighboring states or leave the profession altogether,” said Taylor Woodard, Moore Public Schools’ ‘23-’24 Teacher of the Year. 

Woodard, who teaches 5th grade Reading and Language Arts, said House Bill 1087 is a step in the right direction. 

Additionally, House Bill 1727 expands eligibility for the children of public school teachers to qualify for Oklahoma’s Promise, a college scholarship program. 

“My parents were public school educators for over 30 years – each in rural Oklahoma districts. When it was my turn to graduate, they made just over the income threshold to qualify for Oklahoma’s Promise,” she explained. “For my kids to be able to have that as a benefit now is really exciting.” 

For teachers’ children to qualify, they must meet two conditions: 

1. Household income must be less than 700% of the federal poverty level, and 
2. The teacher must be a full-time teacher who has worked in a public school district for at least 10 years. 

Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, said those years do not have to be consecutive. 

"We know there's a number of certified classroom teachers right now around the state of Oklahoma that aren't actively teaching in the classroom. If an educator had stepped out of the classroom for a while, we wanted to be able to attract them back into the classroom." 

Unfortunately, lawmakers said 2025 seniors and people who have already graduated will not qualify for Oklahoma’s Promise. 

Teachers wanting to apply for Oklahoma’s Promise will need to wait until the fall application period.