Legislative Achievements

2011 Legislative Summary

We started the year with our heels dug in, prepared to stand our ground and protect ourselves from those at the capitol wanting to do us harm. OEA members batted away attempts to eliminate collective bargaining when Representative Holland listened to our voices and withdrew HB 1378. Just a few weeks into the session, we scored a victory for the Association.

OEA members made more than 1,000 contacts to their legislators in the form of emails, visits and phone calls demanding the legislature guarantee a traditional pension. All five bills that attempted to convert the teacher retirement system into a 401-k type plan failed. Another win in our column.

The sting of defeat from HB 1380, which eliminated your right to appeal a termination decision to a district court, just fueled the fire that burned in opposition to SB 264.

SB 264 threatened to eliminate salaries above the minimum, leave time and ESP due process. Support and Certified school employees banded together and made 2,000 legislative contacts over the course of four days. On the final day of session, the bill was not heard in the house. We narrowly escaped with the victory, but hey, a win is a win.

We will certainly face the same battles again. But we’ve dug some trenches this year, fortified our walls and built a solid foundation. Overall, OEA members sent more than 6,000 emails encouraging your legislators to make education-friendly decisions. That’s 3,000 more emails than last year. OEA members are informed and advocating for their profession. You stepped up to the plate, and while other states across the nation lost hard fought rights, the buck stopped here in Oklahoma. That is something to be proud of. 

Defeated
Each of the defeated bills listed below became dormant in the 2011 session and thus could return in 2012.

  • HB 1651 - This bill would have prohibited schools from making payroll deductions for either professional organization dues or political contributions on behalf of a school district employee. 
  • HB 1378 - This bill would have prohibited the recognition of a labor organization as a bargaining agent for a group of school district employees; prohibits school employees from engaging in strike.
  • SB 264 - This bill would have allowed for the deregulation of schools by creating the Allowing Local Administrators More Options Act. This act would have provided a procedure for exempting school districts from certain statutory requirements.
  • SB 80 - This bill would have allowed school districts to have an unlimited carryover. 
  • SB 534 - This bill would have expanded reasons for dismissal to include insubordination, act of dishonesty, failure to follow district policies, etc. 
  • HJR 1001 - This bill would have sent to a vote of the people a measure that would freeze property tax valuation for homesteads owned by those 65 or older & would also remove income limit for benefit.
  • SB 467 - This bill would have created new definitions in regards to a student's "valid excuse" to miss school attendance.

Signed Into Law

  • HB 1007 - This bill create's the 'Teacher's Retirement Dedicated Funding Revolving Fund". It requires all dedicated revenues for the Teachers' Retirement System to go through the State Department of Education and be sent monthly to the TRS in efforts of increasing the Oklahoma per pupil expenditure.
  • HB 1456 - This bill would require the State Board of Education to prepare an annual performance/achievement grading report of every school in the state; ranking schools A-F based on test scores, student learning gains in reading and math, improvement of the lowest 25% of students in reading and math, and whole school improvement.
  • SB 346 - This bill requires that students not reading at grade 4 level be retained and offered special instruction until the deficiency is remedied. This bill begins with first graders in 2011-12. The bill requires parental notification and exempts certain student.
  • SB 969 - This bill allows income tax credits to any tax payer who makes a contribution to orgnizations that provide scholarships to private schools and grants to public schools. Students eligible for the scholarship include those who are eligible to attend a public school which has been identified as Needs to Improve or who is a member of a family with an income less thatn 300% of the free and reduced lunch standard.
  • HB 1744 - This bill requires that the State Department of Education (rather than the respective school district) process all applications and facilitate the implementation of the Special Education Scholarship Program.
  • HB 1648 - This bill no longer allows TRS participants who are absent from teaching while serving an officer of an education association to continue participating in the system.
  • SB 891 - This bill requires school districts that employ retired educators to make additional contributions to the TRS. It will continue to allow teachers to return to the classroom after 90 days at a salary of $15,000 and after one year at a salary of $30,000.
  • HB 2132 - This bill would require the legislature to provide funding for all cost-of-living adjustments to retirement plans.
  • SB 377 - This bill will raise the retirement age to 60 for anyone hired after Nov. 1, 2011. TRS participants must achieve their Rule of 90 and reach the age of 60 prior to drawing benefits. It also increases the retirement age to 65 to draw full retirement for participants who do not reach the Rule of 90.
  • HJR 1002 - This bill send to a vote of the people a measure that would reduce the maximum increase in assessed value of a home from 5% to 3%. It will be voted on in the next General Election on November 6, 2012.
  • HB 1380 - This bill eliminates Trial De Novo and allows local boards to have the final vote of teacher dismissal. It will become law 90 days after the end of the 2011 legislative session, possibly near the end of August 2011.

 

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