OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) – The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a bill that aims to get retired teachers back to work in classrooms with no wait time.
House Bill 2288 passed the House with a vote of 74-7.
The bill, written by House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, eliminates the 36 months retired teachers must wait before hey can return to teaching in Oklahoma public schools.
HB 2288 enables educators to teach past their retirement age while also drawing on their earned retirement benefits.
“Our state has a teacher shortage and we must do all we can to keep quality teachers in our public school classrooms as long as they are willing to continue teaching,” said Hilbert, R-Bristow. “We need to allow these teachers – many of whom are still in their prime working years – to draw down the retirement benefits they have earned while remaining in the classroom if they choose to do so.”
Under current state law, retired teachers can take a teacher job in the private sector or in a private school, but must wait 36 months before returning to public education.
The bill will move to the full House for further consideration.
Oklahoma has been experiencing a significant teacher shortage.
Oklahoma schools reported more than 1,000 teaching vacancies in the 2022-23 school year.
The state issued record numbers of emergency teacher certifications for people who hold a bachelor’s degree but haven’t met the state’s teaching qualifications, according to EducationWeek.
The new bill aims to help fill the gap by getting experienced teachers back in the classroom.
