Oklahoma Legislature: Overview

The Oklahoma Legislature is a bicameral body consisting of the Senate (48 members serving staggered 4-year terms) and the House of Representatives (101 members serving 2-year terms). The legislature convenes annually beginning the first Monday in February and is scheduled to adjourn by the last Friday in May. Oklahoma currently operates under a Republican trifecta — the GOP controls the governorship and holds supermajorities in both chambers (80 Republicans to 20 Democrats in the House as of early 2025). The 60th Legislature completed its 2nd Regular Session in May 2026, adjourning ahead of schedule after reaching an early budget agreement of $12.8 billion for FY2027.

2025 Session Highlights

The 2025 session was characterized as quieter than the historic education funding packages of 2023 and 2024, but still produced meaningful legislation.

Funding. Lawmakers added $25 million into the state education funding formula. No major tax reform passed.

Teacher retention. HB 1087 extended teacher step raises through 35 years of service (previously capped at 25). HB 1727 opened eligibility for the OHLAP college tuition scholarship program to families of 10-year veteran teachers at up to 700% of the federal poverty level (~$186K for a family of three).

Math achievement. SB 140, the Oklahoma Math Achievement and Proficiency Act, allocated $1 million for foundational math instruction reforms, including three-times-per-year math screenings for grades 2–5, intervention supports, dyscalculia screening, and stipends for teacher professional development.

Cell phone ban. SB 139 required all districts to adopt "bell-to-bell" cell phone ban policies for the 2025–26 school year, with narrow exemptions for health monitoring or emergencies.

School choice. SB 105 removed the prior public school enrollment requirement for the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship, allowing students with disabilities to access private school tuition assistance without first attending public school.

Assessment-related. SB 711 eliminated chronic absenteeism as a scored component of the A-F School Report Card and added bonus points for schools exceeding 180 instructional days. HB 1393 required the State Board of Education to adopt parental consent forms for whether students with IEPs participate in the Oklahoma Alternative Assessment Program (OAAP).

DEI ban codified. SB 796 codified into law Governor Stitt's 2024 executive order prohibiting state funds from supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at public colleges and universities.

Notable failures. The legislature rejected two of State Superintendent Ryan Walters' administrative rule proposals: requiring schools to document undocumented students and requiring teachers to pass a U.S. naturalization test. His $3 million request for classroom Bibles also failed. Controversial new social studies standards, which included 2020 election denialism language, were tacitly allowed to take effect after initial GOP pushback.

2026 Session Highlights

Education dominated the 2026 session, described by House Speaker Kyle Hilbert as producing "the best literacy law in the entire country."

Early literacy and third-grade retention. SB 1778 — the flagship bill of the session — requires third graders who score below basic on the state reading test and fail a second literacy assessment to repeat the grade, unless they qualify for a narrow exemption. The law is modeled on Mississippi's successful early literacy reforms. It was accompanied by $232 million in new public education funding, including $26 million for reading instruction and $7.5 million for math.

Teacher pay. The FY2028 budget includes $100 million to raise minimum teacher salaries by $2,000.

School security. A permanent $50 million fund for school security was established.

Instructional time. HB 3151 will increase the minimum school year from 166 to 173 days for districts meeting the 1,086-hour requirement, effective in 2027–28 — contingent on the education budget remaining $175 million above current levels.

Permanent cell phone ban. The 2025 bell-to-bell cell phone ban was made permanent.

AI in schools. SB 1734, passed unanimously, prohibits AI tools from being used as the primary basis for grading, discipline, or promotion, and restricts their classroom use to educator-directed contexts.

Teacher quality. HB 4427 tightened requirements for adjunct teachers, banning adjuncts from teaching core subjects in pre-K through 4th grade and requiring those without a bachelor's degree to be enrolled in one or demonstrate 20+ years of distinguished experience.

School choice expansion. HB 3705 raised the school choice tax credit cap to $275 million to ensure no families are waitlisted.

Assessment-related. The cut score restoration (returning OSTP proficiency thresholds to 2023 levels after they were lowered in 2024) was not a legislative action but was directed by the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability (CEQA), and was the backdrop for much of the legislative conversation around literacy and accountability in 2026.

Notable failures. Governor Stitt's proposal to make the State Superintendent a gubernatorial appointee rather than an elected position failed in the Senate. Bills to expand the State Board of Education and limit elementary school screen time also failed.