Education Bills Pass House Vote
By Jennifer Mock, The Daily Oklahoman
Mar. 15–About a dozen education bills were approved by the state House of Representatives on Tuesday.
All of the bills will next be heard in the Senate. Some of the bills are:
House Bill 2540, by Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, would streamline the process for professionals in the work force to earn alternative certification and begin teaching. The bill passed, 51-46.
HB 2577, by Rep. Tad Jones, R-Claremore, would provide raises for teachers who earn master’s or doctorate degrees in the subject they teach. The bill passed, 96-1.
HB 2693, by Jones, would expand the Academic Achievement Award program, offering more money to teachers who meet certain criteria or who teach at schools scoring high on standardized tests. The bill passed without opposition.
HB 2608, by Rep. Odilia Dank, R-Oklahoma City, would implement the Achieving Classroom Excellence Task Force recommendations that students pass four of seven end-of-course tests before being allowed to graduate. Two of the required tests would be Algebra I and English II. The bill passed, 54-43.
HB 2578, by Jones, would allow the state Education Department to sponsor charter schools. The bill passed, 84-13.
HB 2087, by Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, would appropriate $50 million in excess oil and natural gas taxes for the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program. The program pays the college tuition of students from families earning less than $50,000 per year who take a certain college curriculum, hold a 2.5 grade point average and maintain good behavior. The bill would also allow home-school students who score a 22 or higher on the ACT to apply for these scholarships. The bill passed, 91-4.
HB 2758, by Rep. Gus Blackwell, R-Goodwell, would extend the public school year 10 days, but only if the Legislature pays the $55 million price tag. The bill passed, 77-19.
—–
Copyright (c) 2006, The Daily Oklahoman
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.