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OAESP Legislative Goals

Click Here to download the Approved 2021 OAESP Legislative Priorities in pdf format.

To meet 21st century learning needs, every Oklahoma child deserves a free high-quality education.  The major challenge facing our state is retaining and recruiting effectively trained educators.  Oklahoma must value, support, and compensate all educators for their positive impact that contributes to the future of our state.  

Recruit and retain high quality teachers by supporting legislation that would help resolve the issue.

  • Ensure adequate funding for teacher salaries
  • Expand local control over teaching and learning
  • Decrease the influence of high-stakes testing
  • Preserve the defined benefits plan for retired educators
  • Promote incentives to join the profession
  • Restore funding for a formalized induction program for new teachers
  • Ensure school administrators are highly trained to lead schools effectively.

Finance public schools to meet 21st century learning needs including our growing and diverse student population. 

  • Fully finance the Oklahoma School Funding Formula
  • Restore state appropriated per-pupil funding to pre-recession levels to ensure appropriate class sizes for all age levels
  • Provide funds for principal/teacher professional learning designed to equip educators to address the needs of our most challenging populations, including children in trauma, and to successfully implement state mandated initiatives
  • Provide adequate funding for school support staff and paraprofessionals

Protect research-based student learning fundamentals. 

  • Support legislation that will ensure a high quality, transparent, research based model for virtual education
  • Promote effective age and developmentally appropriate student assessments (criterion-referenced, formative, multi-year, varied, ongoing)
  • Ensure that student performance data from the state assessment is not a significant factor for determining teacher or principal effectiveness. Results should be considered a "snapshot" of student performance in each content area.
  • Protect and promote recess as a crucial and necessary component of a child's development.  
  • Support internet access and devices for all students to provide equity in access to innovate instruction.
  • Require the same accountability and transparency for brick/mortar and charter schools (including virtual schools).