Ford's Education Bills to Restructure State Board and Revoke Some Teacher Rights Advance

A number of education bills have advanced in the state senate. Each was authored by Bartlesville's own Senator John Ford, who is Chairman of the state senate's Education Committee and Vice-Chairman of its Education Appropriations Subcommittee, currently serves as the Assistant Majority Floor Leader, and has been appointed by the Senate President Pro Tem to serve on the Select Committee on Pensions, which is considering changes in the state's underfunded pension plans, including the troubled teacher retirement system.

Senate Votes to Change State Board of Education

The state senate has approved Senate Bill 435 to replace the six current board members, who were all appointed by former governor Brad Henry, with the sitting governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. The state superintendent would also serve on the board, restoring it to its configuration before 1971.

Daily Oklahoman Report | Tulsa World Report

Senate Panel Votes to End Trial de Novo & Strike Career Teacher Pretermination Hearing Language

The Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill 1, which strips teachers of their current right to appeal a termination decision by a local board of education to district court. It also deletes language specifying how a career teacher's pretermination hearing should be conducted before the local board of education. 

Currently the law provides that the district administration specify the statutory ground for the termination recommendation and then specify the underlying facts and provide an explanation of the evidence supporting the recommendation. It then requires that the career teacher have the opportunity to present reasons in person or in writing why the proposed action should not be taken, and states that only after the career teacher has "a meaningful opportunity to respond to the recommendation" shall the local board decide whether to accept or reject the recommendation.

The bill puts career teachers on the same footing as probationary teachers in providing only that the pretermination hearing be conducted by the district board according to procedures established by the State Board of Education and in making the district board's decision final.

Daily Oklahoman Report | Tulsa World Report

Senate Panel Votes to Add Reasons for Teacher Firings

The Senate Education Committee also passed Senate Bill 534 to amend the reasons for a career teacher to be fired as follows:

A career teacher may be dismissed or not reemployed for:

1.  Willful neglect of duty;

2.  Repeated negligence Negligence in performance of duty;

3.  Mental or physical abuse to a child;

4.  Incompetency;

5.  Instructional ineffectiveness;

6.  Unsatisfactory teaching performance;

7.  Commission of an act of moral turpitude including, but not limited to:

a.   an act of dishonesty,

b.   sexual harassment of a student or another school district employee, or

c.   threats to inflict bodily harm on a student, patron of the school district, or school district employee.

For purposes of this paragraph, the application of corporal punishment in compliance with school district policy shall not be considered the commission of am act of moral turpitude; or

8.  Abandonment of contract;

9.  Insubordination including, but not limited to, failure to comply with a reasonable directive from administration of the school district of which the teacher is aware;

10.  Failure to comply with the standards of conduct for teachers as adopted by the State Board of Education which is deemed to interfere with the continued performance of the duties of the teacher; or

11.  Failure to comply with the policies of the school district.