Jett: Local school board training changes would save districts money

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee, has authored legislation this session to modify the training requirements for local district school boards – a simple change that he says will save schools time and money. Senate Bill 1447 would make it optional for board members to complete three hours of instruction in a six-month period rather than the current 12 hours in 15 months.

“Those who run for school board are extremely passionate about improving their local schools. These are business people, involved parents or retired educators, who simply want to provide their views and knowledge to the oversight of their local schools,” Jett said. “The current level of required instruction is unnecessary for these voluntary positions, and a complete waste of time for these public servants, not to mention the hundreds and thousands of dollars it costs their districts. My bill will allow them to get the basic training, should they want or need it, to help them understand school finances and their legal requirements.”

Under SB 1447, the three hours would focus on school finance, the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act, and school law and ethics. Records of board members’ attendance at the trainings would be required to be posted on the school district websites. The bill further removes numerous requirements, including training being provided by a State Board of Education approved organization, inclusion of instruction completion in school board minutes, and school boards declaring a vacancy when a member doesn’t complete their instruction. It also removes the requirement that the State Department of Education (SDE) maintain permanent records of school board member instruction and that the state board provide final notice of instructional opportunities to district board members.  

“These are elected, unpaid positions that good men and women volunteer their time for. If local voters feel they’re qualified enough to help oversee the business of their local district, who are we to require so much training and strap schools with that unnecessary extra expense?” Jett said. “Most other unpaid, elected positions have no training requirements, and I hope my colleagues will see that we need to make school board member training more reasonable to save time and money for everyone involved.”

The Senate Education Committee approved SB 1447 with the title stricken, and the bill will next be considered by the full Senate.

Sen. Jett: (405) 521-5539 or Shane.Jett@oksenate.gov