SB 1187 allows school districts to request an exemption from the State Board of Education from all statutory requirements and State Board of Education rules of which charter schools are currently exempt. 

HB 3156 is a similar bill. HB 3156 does the following: A school district shall be allowed to become exempt from all statutory requirements and State Board of Education rules from which charter schools are exempt, as provided for in the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act.

In case you didn't know, Oklahoma ranked 48th in the nation for Education. As a current school psychologist, this low ranking is more likely caused by the large class sizes, stress and pressure in passing the Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests, low pay, lack of training in behavior management, pressure in teacher evaluations, and lack of respect by the community.

Instead of paying our teachers more, reducing class sizes, and providing more support for our teachers, the passing of the SB 1187 bill will do the following:

Elimination of the teacher's minimum salary schedule.

Elimination of the requirement for school districts to participate in the Oklahoma Teacher's Retirement System (OTRS).

Elimination of school district provided health insurance.

Elimination of criminal background checks on school employees.

Elimination of teacher evaluation and due process protections.

Elimination of payroll deduction.

Elimination of due process protections for support staff.

Elimination of all certification requirements for all school district positions.

Elimination of negotiations between a school district and employees.

Elimination of student curriculum requirements.

Elimination of required continuing education for local board of education members.

Please sign and let our senators, state representatives, and governor know that we do not support this bill.

Thank you everyone!