Education Committee votes in favor of updating career teacher definition

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Senate Education Committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 332 Tuesday to modify how career teachers are defined in Oklahoma. Former teacher, Sen. Jo Anna Dossett, D-Tulsa, said her bill recognizes that teachers often move between districts in their early years to seek better opportunities and would help those individuals to be recognized as career teachers.

“When people get out of college, they often take the first job offer they get just to have a paycheck. After being employed for a while, they may find better opportunities and decide to move to a different district, and they shouldn’t be punished for that by not being named a career teacher in the allotted time frame,” Dossett said. “This measure recognizes that today’s workforce is more mobile than in the past, and we can’t punish teachers for seeking better opportunities. Those who stick with the profession should be granted the career title regardless of where they work.”

Currently, Oklahoma defines a career teacher as one who is employed in one district for 3-4 consecutive years. SB 332 modifies that definition to remove the location requirement and simply use the years of service, plus superior and effective TLE ratings, to determine one’s qualification as a career teacher.

SB 332 now moves before the full Senate.

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For more information, contact:  Sen. Dossett: (405) 521-5624 or JoAnna.Dossett@oksenate.gov