As families across Oklahoma gathered over Memorial Day weekend, many of us paused to remember the men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. Memorial Day is much more than the unofficial start of summer. It is a time to honor sacrifice, reflect on the freedoms we enjoy and remember the brave Americans who never made it home to their families.
Now that school is out for the summer and session has adjourned, I wanted to share some of the major education milestones we passed this year. Education remained one of our top priorities as we continue working to improve outcomes for Oklahoma students and move our state forward academically.
Education remains at the center of this year’s budget priorities. Public schools are expected to receive about 51% of the state’s appropriated budget, with roughly $4.2 billion dedicated to kindergarten through 12th-grade education. That is a $232 million increase over the current fiscal year.
Since I was first elected in 2018, the Oklahoma Legislature has increased annual public education funding by more than $1.7 billion. That represents a 73% increase in annual common public education funding, which is more than the previous 30 years combined. Those investments matter because they directly impact students and teachers across our state.
We included $100 million for salary step increases for certified staff, including teachers, school counselors and speech-language pathologists, within this year’s education budget. We also directed $23.7 million toward educator health insurance costs so teachers are not forced to absorb those increases out of their own paychecks.
In addition to these budget updates, we are investing $80 million into reading and math programs to help students succeed academically and another $50 million to help schools improve campus security and keep students safe.
This session also brought several important education bills across the finish line.
One measure I was especially proud to support was Senate Bill 1778, strengthening Oklahoma’s Strong Readers Act. The law focuses on earlier reading screenings, targeted interventions based on the science of reading and stronger support for teachers in the classroom. It also improves communication with parents so families can better track their child’s progress.
We have seen firsthand that when a child struggles to read, every subject becomes harder. But when a child learns to read well, opportunities begin to open. Up until third grade, students are learning to read. After that, they are reading to learn. That foundation impacts everything that follows, which is why this law is so important.
We also passed House Bill 3151, which increases the minimum number of instructional days from 165 to 173 beginning in the 2027-28 school year. Combined with legislation from last session limiting schools to two virtual days each year, this marks a major step toward restoring valuable in-person instructional time for students.
Another important measure signed into law this year was House Bill 1276, creating a permanent statewide “Bell to Bell, No Cell“ policy for Oklahoma schools. The law builds on what we passed last year as the pilot program, where we saw overwhelming success. This new law makes it permanent to require districts to adopt policies prohibiting student cell phone use during the school day, while still allowing reasonable exceptions for emergencies and documented medical needs.
I have personally spoken with multiple high school students who feel like the ban has helped them to make new friends outside of their regular text groups. They also said they feel the cell phone ban is helping them learn how to communicate better by being able to look at someone face-toface when having a conversation.
Lastly, the Legislature approved new teacher compensation incentives through House Bill 4268. One provision provides teachers who obtain National Board Certification with a $5,000 annual stipend for five years. Another creates performance-based compensation opportunities for teachers whose students demonstrate strong academic growth during the school year.
I am grateful for the work accomplished this session to continue supporting Oklahoma students, teachers, and especially for our rural schools like those in our district. There is always more work to do, but I believe these investments and reforms move us in a positive direction.
As always, I am praying for you and our district daily and I am here if you ever need me.
You can email me at cynthia.roe@okhouse.gov, or you can call my office at (405) 557-7365.
Rep. Cynthia Roe, a Republican, represents House District 42 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Her district includes portions of Cleveland, Garvin and McClain counties.
