OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) – Oklahoma’s Promise Scholarships are now available to the children of teachers who have worked several years in Oklahoma classrooms.
The kids of Oklahoma teachers qualify for the scholarship if they come from a household that is under 700 percent of the federal poverty level, and if at least one of their parents is a full-time certified teacher who has taught for at least 10 years in Oklahoma public schools. Those teaching years do not have to be consecutive or in the same school.
Oklahoma’s Promise officially became available to the children of veteran teachers on July 1 thanks to House Bill 1727, which Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law on June 11.
The bill incentivizes teachers to continue working in Oklahoma schools, according to its author, House Speaker Pro Tempore Anthony Moore, R-Clinton.
“This legislation has so many positives,” Moore said. “It removes financial barriers, allowing more Oklahoma graduates to go onto higher learning at a lessened cost. It will help with recruitment and retention of teachers. It will incentivize teachers who are alternately or emergency certified to become fully certified and will help us keep those teachers in the classroom longer. It also should increase retention of longtime certified teachers, showing them the value we place on their dedication and expertise.”
Oklahoma’s Promise is the commonly used name for the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP).
The Oklahoma Legislature created OHLAP in 1992 to help more Oklahoma families send their children to college. The scholarship is available to students who meet certain income, academic and conduct requirements. It can be used for college or technology school tuition. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education administers Oklahoma’s Promise.
Oklahoma’s Promise eligibility requirements are as follows:
- Must be an Oklahoma resident.
- Must enroll in the 8th, 9th, 10th or 11th grade.
- Must be a student whose parents’ federal adjusted gross income does not exceed:
- $60,000 with 1 or 2 dependent children OR
- $70,000 with 3 or 4 dependent children OR
- $80,000 with 5 or more dependent children.
Waiving eligibility requirements for the children of experienced teachers helps build Oklahoma’s future education workforce, according to Moore.
Students who are the children of educators are more likely than other students to become educators, Moore said.
The new incentive helps keep those students in Oklahoma for college, which makes it more likely that they will live, work and raise a family in Oklahoma, also increasing the number of teachers in the state, according to Moore.
“This builds on the work the Legislature has done the last few years to improve working conditions for Oklahoma teachers, increasing their pay and benefits, and our efforts to improve academic outcomes for students,” he said.
Oklahoma, like the rest of the nation, has a teacher shortage that must be addressed, Moore said.
Moore said he hopes HB 1727 would reduce the state’s dependence on alternative emergency certified teachers.
The Oklahoma Alternative Placement Program gives teaching jobs to individuals who have non-teaching degrees to address the state’s teacher shortage.
“I’m grateful to all who are willing to step into teach in our schools, particularly in rural areas where its often hard to find enough traditionally certified teachers,” Moore said. “But study after study shows us that the No. 1 factor to a student’s success in the classroom is a qualified teacher – one who has been trained in classroom management and has specific subject-matter expertise.”
Officials with Oklahoma State School Boards Association said Oklahoma has had to heavily rely on alternative emergency certified teachers to fill gaps created by severe teacher shortages.
Oklahoma schools had 1,019 teaching vacancies at the start of the 2022-2023 school year and were on pace to hire record numbers of emergency certified teachers, according to the Oklahoma State School Board Association’s annual teacher staffing survey.
