Bill to create teacher pay task force moves forward

OKLAHOMA CITY – The full Senate approved Senate Bill 1139 Monday to find alternate ways to compensate Oklahoma teachers. Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, said the ongoing teacher shortage is evidence that additional reforms must be made to keep professionals in the classroom.

“For almost two decades, I taught in schools where good teachers were shorted on good pay while average or bad teachers made more just because they had worked longer,” Bullard said. “We have to find ways to pay our best teachers the best money and pay them what they are worth.  This is the new frontier of teacher retention and recruitment, and we have to find a solution.”

SB 1139 would create a 9-member task force to study and make recommendations for pay for performance, qualitative pay, and/or merit pay to reward the highest quality teachers and to recruit and retain high quality teachers. It directs the task force to submit a report of findings and recommendations to the chairs of the Senate and House Education Committees by Nov. 30, 2023.

Rep. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon, is the principal House author of the measure, which will next be heard in the House.

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For more information, contact:  Sen. Bullard: (405) 521-5586 or David.Bullard@oksenate.gov