STATE ISSUES
Early Childhood Care and Education
Having access to high-quality early childhood care and education programs encourages parental/guardian employment, which creates more economic security and better opportunities for families. The Chamber recognizes that finding solutions to ongoing childcare needs will require collaboration with federal, state and local governments, business and industry, philanthropic and nonprofit community and education providers. The Chamber steadfastly supports early childhood education, prenatal to five years old, and full funding of pre-K and kindergarten programs. Targeted spending on our youngest children is simply a smart investment.
Long-Term, Strategic Education Funding
The Chamber supports development of a long-term strategic plan that will enable improvement in classroom teaching and academic performance. This should include increasing the minimum number of instructional hours, currently 1,080 hours, required for a complete school year. In addition, we are supportive of extended summer learning opportunities and after school programs. We also support ongoing funding to enable schools to achieve targeted classroom sizes.
Teacher Preparation, Recruitment and Retention
Oklahoma has a teacher shortage. Oklahoma needs to improve our teacher preparation pipeline systems to train, attract and retain more high-quality teachers. We support legislation to:
Adjunct, Alternative and Emergency Certified Teachers
The Chamber recognizes the need for adjunct, alternative and emergency certified teachers will continue to increase. We support efforts to increase retention and make sure these teachers are as prepared as possible and as quickly as possible. We support:
Attract and Develop High-Performing School Leaders
Top-notch school leadership by school superintendents and principals is critical to school performance, teacher retention and school culture. The Chamber supports the creation and implementation of initiatives that attract, retain and develop innovative and high-performing school leaders.
Statewide Longitudinal Data System
The chamber recognizes the need for a robust and comprehensive Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) as a top priority for advancing education and economic outcomes across our state. The SLDS is essential to ensuring that data-driven decisions guide educational strategies, workforce readiness initiatives and policy development to empower stakeholders, including educational institutions, employers and policymakers, to make informed choices that improve the long-term success of our students and workers. To ensure the system operates effectively, strong data governance is vital. Oklahoma is the only state that DOES NOT have a longitudinal data system, thereby placing a disadvantage on our educational decision makers and stakeholders. Data governance provides the framework of policies, standards and roles to ensure data is used and protected in a responsible manner. Data governance includes data stewardship and ownership; data quality and integrity; data security and privacy; data access and sharing; policy and standards compliance; data lifecycle management and oversight.
Consideration should also be given to the following:
Increasing Student Learning Capacity
The Chamber supports providing additional and enhanced learning opportunities that utilize recognized best practices and extended learning opportunities to address student data from Pre-K to Higher Ed student learning loss. It is important to help students catch up by having more time on tasks, including longer school days and additional instructional days. In addition, we are supportive of extended summer learning opportunities and after school programs. A focus on research-based reading and literacy programs that work to enable students at all grade levels to improve reading proficiency and comprehension skills is supported.
Mental Health Needs
Oklahoma students at all levels face a high level of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). We support initiatives to address the mental and behavioral health of students and all school personnel.
The Chamber supports the current law that ensures schools benefit fully from the Oklahoma Prevention Needs Assessment. It is a robust tool for providing direction to schools, districts and communities to effectively improve the lives of students across a variety of issues. The OPNA is the basis for millions of dollars in federal and state funds that benefit multiple districts across the region.
Public Charter Schools
The Chamber supports charter schools and education choices. Charter schools are public schools and are required to adhere to Oklahoma statutes and performance standards. We support creating high-quality charter schools and enabling successful charter schools to grow. This includes online charter schools, schools designed to meet the needs of targeted under resourced populations or schools that provide specific curriculum.
We support ensuring that all public schools are funded equitably and that charter schools have access to funding for infrastructure and facilities including buildings that are on par with public schools.
Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics
The Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics (OSSM) has consistently ranked among the nation's top public high schools. More than half of OSSM graduates stay in Oklahoma, and 85% are choosing STEM careers. Provided the OSSM Board and administration continue to focus on implementing effective policies, procedures and safeguards to improve the school culture, and ensure OSSM is a safe place for all students, faculty and staff, the Chamber will continue to support full funding for the OSSM budget.
Specialty Schools
We support state funding for schools that target the specific needs of students experiencing homelessness. This includes schools like Positive Tomorrows, a private nonprofit school in Oklahoma City exclusively serving students in need of housing support with services that help stabilize their families, bring the students up to grade level and prepare them for success in public school.
Further, we support ongoing strategic funding to schools and school programs that support the growing aerospace industry, the number two industry in the state, with 118 Oklahoma high schools that are implementing strong aerospace pathways for students. These schools, including the Oklahoma Aviation Academy in Norman, are well on their way to developing aerospace pathways that allow students to follow learning trajectories that will lead to rewarding careers in aerospace. Public school districts across the state are partnering with higher education, career tech, industry, airports and workforce development committees to ensure students have the opportunity to engage in high-level, STEM-focused curriculum and learning activities that transform the traditional educational environment.
School and Campus Safety
The Chamber will oppose legislation to permit carrying of firearms at early childhood, pre-K-12, colleges and CareerTech facilities. We will oppose efforts to remove or replace the ability of CareerTech and higher education institutions to regulate firearms on campus. The business community recognizes that national events have created increasing concerns about school safety and that additional protection may require additional funding.
Teacher Wellness and Health
We believe our schools should provide a safe and healthy work and learning environment. This includes enabling schools to prevent spread of illness and minimize teacher absences by encouraging all school personnel to take precautionary steps, including getting vaccinated.
Concurrent Enrollment and Work-based Learning
The Chamber recognizes the excellent learning opportunities offered at our four-year universities, community colleges and CareerTechs. Students should be allowed and encouraged to begin pursuit of a degree or certification while still in high school. They reduce the amount of time it takes to complete a degree or certificate at a post- secondary institution, which reduces costs and speeds entry into the workforce. We support fully funding tuition, books and fees for seniors and juniors as funding is available. We also support efforts to increase work-based learning opportunities that prepare individuals for careers.
Higher Education – Reform, Investment and Innovation
The Chamber recognizes a high-quality higher education system is critical to economic growth. Oklahoma City continues to struggle with meeting the workforce needs of its employers, particularly in Critical Occupations (as defined by www.oklahomaworks.gov/criticaloccupations). The business community, governments and higher education continue to face financial challenges. We all must be innovative and flexible to meet the needs of customers and achieve our mission. This includes development of partnerships that produce tech transfer and research partnerships to generate private, federal and foundation revenue.
We urge the higher education system to pursue significant reform to better meet employer needs. The business community supports the following reforms:
Workforce / Adult Learning
Oklahoma’s workforce has many people who have started college but have not earned degrees. The state also has many individuals who need additional skills or training to meet employers’ needs. The Chamber supports new programs and fiscal solutions to support adult learners’ ability to upskill and complete degrees.
Higher Education – Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Tax Credit
To increase the college-educated workforce in the state, the Chamber supports the expansion of the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship tax credit for needs-based scholarships to eligible public college students. This expansion would generate funding for scholarships by providing tax credits to individuals and businesses who make donations to higher education foundations that provide scholarships.
OSRHE Funding Formula
The Chamber supports re-examining current funding formulas and metrics to provide equitable base funding for public higher education institutions from the Oklahoma State Regents of Higher Education.
Oklahoma’s Promise
Oklahoma’s Promise is one of the nation’s most successful college access programs. We oppose legislation that would diminish the program’s focus on college access. We support efforts to increase the number of college graduates and continued direct allocation of state funds, which ensures full funding of scholarships earned by Oklahoma students.
CareerTech – Business and Industry Training
The Oklahoma CareerTech system is acknowledged as one of the top systems in the nation. CareerTech is a key ingredient in attracting industry to Oklahoma through its Training for Industry Program (TIP). The Chamber supports funding to assure training needs for new and existing industry. The business community urges the system to focus on producing a workforce that can meet the needs of in-demand and Critical Occupations.
Career Readiness and Certification
The Chamber believes the Oklahoma workforce needs more opportunities to earn post-secondary education, including certifications, degrees, licenses and other training targeting skills that are in demand and meet industry needs.
Arts and Arts Education
The Chamber supports public funding for arts and arts education in schools as a means to spotlight our history and culture, attract tourism, bolster our local economy and elevate our brand throughout the region.
The Chamber supports visual and performing arts in our schools as a means to nurture well-rounded individuals and help create a more engaging and dynamic learning environment. Research shows that such programs enhance critical thinking and problem-solving, boost academic performance and prepare students for a diverse range of careers.
Oklahoma State Department of Education
The Chamber requires aligning the OSDE with the goals and priorities herein to best serve the educational needs of the state, as well as any available funding that supports child well-being. The Oklahoma State Department of Education is the state education agency charged with determining the policies and directing the administration and supervision of the public school system of Oklahoma. The State Board of Education is responsible for overseeing that these duties are completed. The restructuring of this board for increased accountability is supported. Adding two appointees from the House and two appointees from the Senate to the current appointee membership by the Governor will increase accountability and oversight for these functions taking place.
Safeguarding Child Nutrition
The Chamber recognizes that nutrition programs play a key role in keeping children in the Oklahoma City region fed. The Chamber supports utilizing and funding programs that best feed the children of the Oklahoma City region.
FEDERAL ISSUES
Helping Students Pay for Higher Education
The Chamber recognizes that students need financial resources to complete post-secondary education. We support broad outreach and awareness of financial resources available to potential Oklahoma college students and young adults such as FAFSA, concurrent enrollment, Reach Higher, Oklahoma’s Promise and others:
The Chamber supports efforts to ensure a timely, reliable and accessible application process for students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA), with a release date by October 1 each year increasing accessibility to financial support for student applicants; therefore, providing students and institutions time to effectively plan for financial aid, and in turn aligning associated data reporting. Delays in FAFSA processing and inadequate communication can hinder college access, which in turn negatively impacts workforce development. Ensuring timely financial aid decisions is critical to supporting students in pursuing postsecondary education and filling workforce needs in high-demand sectors.
Safeguarding Child Nutrition
The Chamber recognizes that federal nutrition programs play a key role in keeping children in the Oklahoma City region fed. The Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act has not been updated in more than a decade. The Chamber supports the reauthorization of this act to better serve the children of the Oklahoma City community.
The Chamber supports using all available federal funding to support the health, mental health and wellbeing of our future workforce, using all available tools to ensure the academic success of our students. This includes ensuring the state administers the summer EBT programs to ensure students are fed.
