A. The Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation and the State Board of Education are authorized to establish the Education Leadership Oklahoma program.
B. The purposes of the Education Leadership Oklahoma program are to:
1. Provide teachers throughout the state information about National Board certification and the Education Leadership Oklahoma program services;
2. Provide technical assistance and National-Board-certified mentors to all teachers seeking National Board certification upon request;
3. Reward teachers who are seeking National Board certification by awarding them a portion of the application processing charge and assessment fee and scholarship as provided in subsection D of this section; and
4. Provide recognition to National-Board-certified teachers.
C. To fulfill the objectives of the Education Leadership Oklahoma Act, the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation shall:
1. Inform teachers of the Education Leadership Oklahoma program and services it provides to teachers seeking National Board certification, emphasizing recruiting efforts toward teachers at high-poverty schools, schools identified as in need of improvement and in counties with the lowest percentage of teachers who have achieved National Board certification; and
2. Ensure that all teachers seeking National Board certification receive adequate information regarding the level of commitment required to acquire National Board certification.
D. The Commission shall select not more than one hundred applicants to participate in the program each fiscal year for whom the Commission shall pay one-half (1/2) of the application processing charge and assessment fee for National Board certification. The total amount paid by the Commission shall not exceed One Thousand Three Hundred Dollars ($1,300.00). In addition the Commission shall also provide to the selected applicants a scholarship in the amount of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) to cover other expenses associated with obtaining National Board certification.
E. The Commission shall promulgate rules establishing a process for accepting applications for the Education Leadership Oklahoma program and for providing to applicants selected for the program up-front payment of the application processing charge and assessment fee and scholarship. If a selected applicant who receives the up-front payment does not complete National Board certification within three (3) years, the applicant shall repay the Commission the full amount paid by the Commission pursuant to subsection D of this section. All selected applicants who do not receive an up-front payment and successfully complete National Board certification shall be reimbursed by the Commission for the application processing charge and assessment fee. The total amount of reimbursement paid by the Commission shall not exceed One Thousand Three Hundred Dollars ($1,300.00).
F. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation contract with Southeastern Oklahoma State University to establish Education Leadership Oklahoma program training in higher education teacher preparation programs in the state to assist teachers in meeting the requirements to obtain National Board certification.
G. All teachers seeking National Board certification shall be eligible to participate in Education Leadership Oklahoma program training to assist them in meeting the requirements of the National Board certification process, free of charge.
H. Subject to district board of education policy or collective bargaining agreement, additional professional leave days may be granted to teachers seeking National Board certification for National Board certification portfolio development. During the two (2) days of the additional professional days granted to teachers for National Board certification portfolio development, a substitute teacher shall be provided by the school district at no cost to the teacher.
I. 1. The State Board of Education shall provide to teachers who attained National Board certification prior to June 30, 2013, a bonus in the amount of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) annually over a ten-year period, to be paid no later than January 31 each year. The Board shall provide a bonus to any teacher who attains National Board certification after June 30, 2013, if the teacher was selected for the Education Leadership Oklahoma program before June 30, 2013, or the teacher has submitted an application for National Board certification to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards before June 30, 2013.
2. The teachers eligible to receive the annual bonus as provided for in paragraph 1 of this subsection shall receive the annual bonus for the ten-year duration of their National Board certification and so long as they are teaching in the classroom full-time in an Oklahoma public school. No school or school district shall be liable for payment of bonuses pursuant to this section.
3. The bonus shall not be included in the calculation of the teacher’s salary for purposes of meeting the district or statutory minimum salary schedule or for purposes of compensating Oklahoma Teachers’ Retirement System contributions or benefits.
4. Teachers eligible to receive the annual bonus as provided for in paragraph 1 of this subsection shall not be eligible to receive the additional salary increment for National Board certification as set forth in the minimum salary schedule in Section 3 of this act.
5. Teachers who attain National Board certification after June 30, 2013, shall be eligible to receive the additional salary increments for National Board certification as set forth in the minimum salary schedule in Section 3 of this act.
6. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules for a process by which a National-Board-certified teacher will verify that:
J. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education incorporate the National Board certification portfolio development into all programs in education leading to a master’s level degree.
Added by Laws 1997, c. 181, § 3, eff. July 1, 1997. Amended by Laws 1998, c. 350, § 1, emerg. eff. June 5, 1998; Laws 1999, c. 303, § 1, eff. July 1, 1999; Laws 2001, c. 201, § 3; Laws 2002, c. 236, § 4, eff. July 1, 2002; Laws 2003, c. 434, § 23; Laws 2007, c. 197, § 1; Laws 2010, c. 457, § 4; Laws 2012, c. 360, § 2; Laws 2013, c. 83, § 13, eff. July 1, 2013; Laws 2013, c. 394, § 2.
NOTE: Laws 1999, c. 320, § 46 repealed by Laws 2001, c. 201, § 12.