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Sen. Jessica Garvin
OKLAHOMA CITY – Two education bills dealing with Oklahoma’s teacher shortage and carryover funds have been approved by the state Senate.
Both measures, authored by Sen. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan, have moved to the state House for its consideration.
Senate Bill 1119 would remove the 270-hour cap on adjunct teachers for each semester they teach. The number of adjunct teachers in Oklahoma schools has increased annually from about 175 during the 2015-2016 school year to more than 400 last school year, according to the Oklahoma State School Boards Association.
Adjunct teachers are professionals with distinguished qualifications in their field, such as scientists or accountants. Because of their professional background, they do not need to meet the standard certification requirements but can be authorized by local school boards to teach a subject related to their field of expertise.
Elgin Superintendent Nathaniel Meraz said he understands why adjunct teachers are needed, but acknowledged Elgin doesn’t use them.
“These kinds of things have become necessary to fill teacher spots,” he said. “Districts have to use more creative ways to fill these positions.”
The state Board of Education has also approved more than 3,800 emergency certifications so far this school year.
“Until we no longer have a need for emergency certified or adjunct teachers, we must remove any barriers keeping districts from being able to have these highly qualified individuals in the classroom,” Garvin said. “Not only are these professionals helping fill a teaching void, but they’re also helping expose students to their professions, industries and perspective career fields, which is so important as students make decisions about their futures.”
Pam Deering, executive director of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration, thanked Garvin for her work on education-related bills.
“We appreciate her efforts to assist school districts with more options to better plan financially and to increase the time for an adjunct teacher who is already in the classroom. We know that the teacher shortage is real and any effort to ensure that we have teachers in the classroom is appreciated,” Deering wrote in an email.
The bill and emergency clause passed through the Senate by a 35-9 vote.
Carryover funds
Meanwhile, SB 1126 would remove the carryover caps for general fund money, allowing school districts to plan better and save for future needs, Garvin said. Removing the cap would give schools more flexibility in how and when they spend the carryover funds.
The proposal passed the Senate by a 32-15 vote. The emergency clause passed 34-13, which means the bill would become state law on July 1 if approved by the House and signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt.
Current law contains caps on how much a school district may carry over in its general fund from one fiscal year to the next. These are funds that school districts reserve for emergencies or to use during July when they do not receive state aid payments. For example, if a district receives revenues, minus federal funds, of $10 million or more, the district can carry over 14% of that amount.
A school district’s state aid can be reduced if it exceeds the caps. However, the financial penalties have been waived since fiscal year 2021 and will continue through fiscal year 2024. Garvin’s bill would remove the caps altogether.
“We must stop penalizing our local districts for being fiscally responsible and wanting to save unused general funds for essential future expenses,” Garvin said. “This change would stop the often wasteful and unnecessary district spending happening statewide to avoid losing funding. Instead, my bill will encourage and support responsible long-term strategic planning to improve educational outcomes through technological and infrastructure upgrades, hiring and retention incentives, and other critical areas. School financial decisions should be based on needs, not calendar deadlines.”
SB 1126 would require carryover funds be reported to the State Department of Education and would also modify the School District Transparency Act by adding such funds to the list of financial information to be published online by the agency. School district and school site expenditures of state, federal, and local funds are already available online.
Deering said the proposed changes will provide more financial flexibility for school districts as they plan for meeting the needs of the district “without the constraints of a fixed amount that does not fit all school districts and their needs.”