Governor Stitt quietly signs several Education bills
The state has one of the highest teacher turnover rates in the nation. While many lawmakers argue that rhetoric at the top needs to get better, it's funding that needs to get better as well.
Tulsa World found earlier this year in their reporting that Oklahoma has one of the lowest per-pupil spending rates in the nation.
This last session saw some of the biggest funding for education the state has seen in a while, like expanding teacher pay opportunities or putting money into math proficiency screening for students.
'These bills are great and all, but what do we do now? I mean, you can still look regional, we are lagging in teacher pay overall? I mean, we're last. So, in the region, if you look at that, it's kind of an arms race that we're losing,' said Representative Jacob Rosecrants (D-OKC).
21 bills still waiting on decision by Gov. Stitt
Two major bills that many educators have had their eyes on include House Bill 1087, which would extend teacher pay raises by 10 years, and House Bill 1727, which expands Oklahoma's Promise, a program that gives scholarship opportunities to educators.
'We want young teachers to come into the system, but we don't want to have such a turnover rate like the one we have now,' said Representative Dick Lowe (R-Chickasha).
Rep. Lowe authored HB 1087 and said it came with a catch. As of right now, teachers' pay raises go until 25 years of service, but now that 1087 is signed, they will receive it until 35 years of service.
'The second part of this bill came from the Senate, and it was a compromise where we had one more day of class for every school in the state of Oklahoma of instructional time,' said Rep. Lowe.
HB 1727 was praised by many educators, and ones we spoke with were hoping the governor would sign it. Others had questions about it.
There is a website that answers most of them here.
'It's great for teacher retention, absolutely, but this doesn't include all teachers and not even all school employees,' said Rep. Rosecrants.
Other education bills that have been signed include SB 140, which ensures students in grades 2-5 are screened for math proficiency three times a year and identifies students in need of intervention.
Then there is House Bill 1287, which creates a high-dosage tutoring pilot program through the State Regents for Higher Education, aimed at boosting student learning with targeted interventions. The initiative is a research-backed program that uses strategic funding to help students close learning gaps to better prepare them for the future.
As of Thursday afternoon, there was a total of three bills left for action to be taken on.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
11 minutes ago
- The Hill
Airlines urge senators to reject bill limiting facial recognition
A group representing several major airlines alongside travel companies and airports are opposing a Senate bill that would require the Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) to generally use manual ID verification at security checkpoints instead of facial recognition. The bill, introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), would broadly restrict TSA's ability to use biometrics and facial recognition, carving out a few exemptions for the agency's Precheck and other Trusted Traveler programs. Passengers may still opt-in to the use of facial recognition at the checkpoint. In a letter to Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) on Monday, the air industry groups said the law was a 'step backward' and that facial recognition technology made security screenings far more efficient. 'The future of seamless and secure travel relies on the appropriate use of this technology to ensure security effectiveness and operational efficiency as daily travel volume continues to rise,' they wrote. 'We are concerned that the vague and confusing exceptions to this blanket ban will have major consequences for the identity verification process, screening operations, and trusted traveler enrollment programs.' Cruz and Cantwell are their parties' highest-ranking members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which is scheduled to mark up the bill on Wednesday. In addition to limiting the use of facial recognition, Merkley's bill would also require TSA to delete most images collected at checkpoints within 24 hours of a passenger's departure. Travelers going through a TSA checkpoint are generally able to opt out of facial recognition, the agency says. Merkley has argued that the agency's enforcement is inconsistent, posting on social media in February about his difficulties navigating the policy at Reagan International Airport. 'This is big government coming to take away your privacy, trying to set up a national surveillance system,' the Oregon Democrat said in February. The airlines, however, warned that restricting the use of facial recognition could slow down security and divert TSA's resources toward maintaining officer staffing, rather than focusing on automated innovations. The group also said it felt it had been insufficiently consulted on the legislation, 'despite the major impact the bill would have on aviation security, airports, airlines, travelers, and technology companies.' The bill has gathered bipartisan support. In addition to Merkley, Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) have signed on as cosponsors. The legislation, which was first introduced in May, comes as the Trump administration has rolled back TSA's longstanding policy of requiring travelers to take off their shoes at checkpoints.
Fox News
12 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump's endorsement boosts Senate candidate who almost flipped a key swing seat
EXCLUSIVE - Republican Senate candidate and former Rep. Mike Rogers says President Donald Trump's endorsement gives him a "clear shot" as he aims to flip a Democrat-held seat in battleground Michigan in next year's midterm elections. The president's backing of Rogers last week came a day after GOP Rep. Bill Huizenga, who had been seriously mulling a Senate run in Michigan, announced that he would not launch a 2026 Senate campaign after consultations with Trump. Huizenga's announcement and Trump's ensuing endorsement helped clear the field for Rogers, who is making his second straight bid for the Senate. "It's huge," Rogers said of Trump's endorsement. "It shows how far we've come in unifying the Republican Party here in Michigan." And Rogers highlighted in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview that "clearing out any potential opponent in a primary allows us to continue to build on the momentum we have." Rogers pointed to "people jumping on board, wanting to be part of the team" since Trump's endorsement last week. "Having the Trump endorsement, that just kind of seals the deal. And it means we just get to work to win the election against Democrats in November of '26." Rogers is aiming to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, who announced earlier this year that he wouldn't seek re-election. Rogers, a former FBI special agent who later served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee during his tenure in Congress, is making his second straight run for the Senate in Michigan. Rogers won the 2024 GOP Senate nomination in Michigan but narrowly lost to Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democrats' nominee, in last November's election in the race to succeed longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who retired. Slotkin, who vastly outspent Rogers, edged him by roughly 19,000 votes, or a third of a percentage point. "We've already seen some opening of checkbooks that maybe weren't willing to do that before," Rogers said of a boost in fundraising since he landed the president's backing last week. "I think it's definitely going to help our fundraising, and it all feeds on itself, so we'll have better fundraising. Better fundraising means more support. More support means broader support. Broader support means we can continue to build out our team and what we have to do across the state," Rogers added. While Rogers appears to have the GOP field to himself, Democrats are facing a crowded and competitive primary. Among the announced candidates are Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, former state House Speaker Rep. Joe Tate, and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, of Ann Arbor, a former Wayne County health director. "The Democrats are absolutely in a knife fight in the primary. They are a mess and fighting each other. They don't know which way they're going," Rogers argued. Trump narrowly carried Michigan in the 2024 presidential election after losing the state by a razor-thin margin four years earlier. But Republicans haven't won a Senate election in Michigan in over 30 years. You have to go back to former Sen. Spencer Abraham's 1994 victory. But Rogers said his early start this cycle, compared to his 2024 Senate run, as well as Trump's endorsement, could make the difference in 2026. "I wasn't even in the race this early last go round," Rogers said. "So to be in the race this early and get his [Trump's] endorsement just says we are serious about winning." "All good full steam ahead here," Rogers emphasized.
Fox News
12 minutes ago
- Fox News
Vance warns of 'penalty' for Dems who opposed the 'big, beautiful, bill' ahead of 2026 midterms
Vice President JD Vance said that anyone who opposed President Donald Trump's "one big, beautiful bill" should face consequences ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The measure includes key provisions that would permanently establish individual and business tax breaks included in Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and incorporates new tax deductions to cut duties on tips and overtime pay. All Democrats, along with five Republicans in both the House and the Senate, voted against the massive tax and domestic policy bill. However, Trump signed it into law on July 4. "Anybody who voted against it, I think they ought to pay a penalty," Vance said Monday in Canton, Ohio. "Because they voted against all those great things for the people of Akron and the people of Northeastern Ohio." "The craziest thing is if you're a Democrat and you don't like this legislation, then come and talk to us," Vance said. "Make some proposed changes. Tell us 'You know, this provision isn't so good. We'd like to change it a little bit, and if we change it, then I can get to yes.' This is the process of government. And these guys didn't even come to the White House and try to make their concerns known. They didn't try to make the legislation better. They just attack, attack, attack." Vance then said he believed Democrats don't care about grocery prices, whether employees receive a raise or not, or if Americans are even employed in the first place. "Their obsession in government is letting illegal aliens into this country, and attacking Donald J. Trump," Vance said. "I don't think the American people should reward that broken style of politics, and I don't think they're going to come November 2026." Vance's remarks come as he champions the "big, beautiful bill," with Republicans looking to defend their slim House majority — and potentially pick up a few seats — in the high-stakes 2026 midterm elections. Vance visited Pennsylvania's 8th District on July 16, when he praised the measure and offered support for the district's Republican representative, Rep. Rob Bresnahan, who was elected in 2024 and is in a vulnerable seat. Vance is also slated to speak at fundraisers for the Republican National Committee on Tuesday in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Big Sky, Montana, Axios first reported. Among those who voted against the "big, beautiful bill" in Ohio was Rep. Emilia Sykes, who represents Canton, where Vance spoke on Monday. Sykes is in a vulnerable district as well and barely secured a victory over her opponent in the 2024 election by 2.2 percentage points, according to The New York Times. A spokesperson for Vance doubled down on the vice president's remarks on Monday and pointed to a new Wall Street Journal poll released on Friday that found that 63% of voters hold a negative view towards Democrats, and only 33% hold a favorable one – a new low since 1990. "The Democrats just hit their lowest approval rating in 35 years, and all they can do is distract voters from the enormous wins the Trump administration is racking up," a Vance spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Voters are sick of Democrat politicians constantly blowing hot air. Meanwhile, the vice president is visiting contested House districts around the country selling the substantive provisions in the president's landmark One Big Beautiful Bill." A Fox News poll released this month revealed that a majority of voters oppose the "big, beautiful bill." The poll, which was conducted between July 18 and 21, found that 58% of all registered voters oppose the measure, while 39% approve of it. No Democrats got on board backing the "big, beautiful bill," joined by Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Rand Paul of Kentucky and Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., labeled the bill "cruel" during floor remarks that lasted hours on July 3, pointing to Medicaid and SNAP reforms that reports suggest would remove millions of beneficiaries from the programs. "What is contemplated in this one big, ugly bill is wrong. It's dangerous, and it's cruel, and cruelty should not be either the objective or the outcome of legislation that we consider here in the United States House of Representatives," Jeffries said.
