Safe & Supportive School Environments
In education, discipline equity is a crucial principle that guarantees fairness, respect, and comprehensive growth for all students. We believe that every student, regardless of their background, should receive fair and consistent discipline that fosters their development. By championing discipline equity, we create a safe and supportive learning environment that helps students become responsible citizens and make a positive impact on their communities.
Discipline equity must also be paired with policies that ensure students have what they need to succeed in and out of the classroom. This includes expanding access to school-based mental health supports, ensuring all students have reliable access to healthy meals, and investing in creative outlets such as the arts, music, and hands-on learning opportunities.
WAYS WE ARE FIGHTING FOR SAFE & SUPPORTIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS
Recommendation #8: Reduce the Reliance on Standardized Tests Recommendation #9: Support Personalized Learner-Centered Education Recommendation#10: Bolster Creative Elements of the School Day. Recommendation #11: #12: Promote Community Schools Recommendation #13: Support the Use of School-Based Restorative Justice Recommendation #14: End the Use of School Corporal Punishment Recommendation #15: Implement multi-tiered intervention systems to address chronic absenteeism Recommendation
HEALTHY MEALS FOR ALL KIDS
We believe all children attending Oklahoma’s public schools should have access to healthy school meals at no cost. SSS
STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS
We believe improving access mental health resources for Oklahoma’s kids is essential to their learning, well-being, and long-term success. XXX
SCHOOL CHOICE ACCOUNTABILITY
We believe there must be a greater level of accountability to taxpayers for Oklahoma’s Private School Choice Programs. Many of our B.O.O.K. stakeholders raised strong concerns about the diversion of public dollars to private schools that operate free of the formal rules and responsibilities we insist that our public schools adhere to as a condition of receiving taxpayer dollars. Oklahomans have the right to expect to know more about how and where their dollars are being spent and what results they are receiving for this investment of several hundreds of millions of dollars.
Among the common-sense proposals that lawmakers should enact to ensure greater transparency and accountability in the programs are:
Disclosing the number of students and amount of tax credits received by each participating private school;
Limiting the amount that private schools that receive tax credits can raise tuition to avoid cost-shifting;
Requiring that students benefitting from the Parental Choice Tax Credit take the same standardized assessments as public school students so that student outcomes can be assessed and compared;
Allowing families to benefit from only one of the private school choice programs, to avoid the stacking of credits that may exceed the full private school cost;
Maintaining the current budgetary caps on the EOE scholarship and PCTC at least until more is known about who the programs are serving and the results they are producing.
INCREASE TEACHER AND SUPPORT STAFF PAY
We believe Oklahoma should commit to paying teachers and support staff at least 90% of the national average. The average teacher salary in Oklahoma ranks 35th in the nation, almost 15% below the national average. If Oklahoma has made progress in bringing teacher pay somewhat closer to the national average, the same cannot be said for educational support professionals. Full-time support worker pay in Oklahoma is dead last among the 50 states and DC and a full 25% below the national average.
Oklahoma should commit to a concrete plan to ensure pay increases for teachers and support workers until Oklahoma reaches and stays at at least 90% of the national average. As other states will likely increase educator pay in future years as well, this will be a moving target. Given that Oklahoma does enjoy a lower cost of living than many states, it is reasonable to set the target at less than 100% of the national average; however, making a firm commitment to raise salaries for teachers and support staff will send an important signal that the state is serious about ensuring that our education professionals are valued and paid competitively.
INCENTIVES FOR LOW-INCOME SCHOOLS
We believe Oklahoma should incentivize teachers to serve in low-income schools. Anyone familiar with the teaching profession knows that while the job is always challenging, the challenges tend to be much greater in some schools compared to others. In particular, teachers in schools with high concentrations of low-income students must manage higher levels of chronic absenteeism, student turnover, and disciplinary issues, as well as lower student performance. Keeping high-quality teachers in high-poverty schools is at once more urgent and more difficult.
Options might include providing loan forgiveness for teachers who work in high-poverty schools for a certain number of years; tying base pay in part to a school's socio-economic profile; and/or providing bonuses for teachers who agree to transfer to a high-needs school. Whatever the specific solution, it is clear that narrowing the achievement gap and ensuring that our public schools provide the best possible education for all children regardless of their zip code should be a strong focus of education policymakers in the years ahead.
QUALITY CLASSROOM SUPPORT
We believe Oklahoma’s classroom teachers deserve a greater level of classroom support. Increasing teacher pay is one component of what's needed to support teachers, but it is not sufficient alone. Throughout our B.O.O.K. consultations, we heard over and over that teachers feel overburdened by their workload and range of responsibilities, and that too many teachers are not receiving the support they need to be successful. These concerns affect teacher morale and contribute directly to the decision that far too many teachers make to choose a different line of work.
With so many Oklahoma teachers joining the profession each year under emergency certifications, the need for newer teachers to enjoy the guidance and experience of more seasoned colleagues is especially important. While districts may choose different approaches to mentoring based on what best meets local needs and circumstances, the Legislature can encourage mentorships by providing a dedicated funding stream that all districts are eligible for. One program currently operated by Oklahoma State University, OK-Thrive, supports early career educators with professional development and coaching, but in its first full cycle has only been able to serve 80 teachers in 25 school districts. Mentorships could also be a specific component of the Oklahoma Teacher Empowerment Program that offers annual stipends to teachers recognized as among the best in their district.
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RESOURCE EQUITY!
ADDITIONAL SCHOOL EQUITY RESOURCES FROM OUR ADVANCE OKLHAOMA’S KIDS COALITION MEMBERS
Mental Health
Expand access to resources that empower parents with the tools they need to support their children through life’s challenges—inside and beyond the classroom..
School Funding
Better understand the five different public school options, as well as the different ways in which public tax dollars are being used to fund private schools in Oklahoma.
Rural Schools
A closer look at Oklahoma-specific data included in the National Rural Education Association’s 2023 report. Including insights into educational outcomes, student and family diversity, and more.