OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — State lawmakers on Tuesday approved a key component of Oklahoma’s education budget, allocating $25 million toward public schools in an effort to retain veteran teachers and boost classroom instruction. The funding is tied to House Bill 1087, authored by Rep. Dick Lowe (R-Amber) and co-authored in the Senate by Sen. Adam Pugh (R-Edmond).
The legislation aims to address teacher retention by extending the current pay raise schedule for educators from 25 years to 40 years of service. Under the previous system, Oklahoma teachers received incremental pay raises based on years of experience, education level, and certification status—capped at 25 years. The new measure extends that benefit by an additional 15 years, offering financial incentives for long-serving teachers to remain in the classroom.
“This is specifically focused on keeping our more senior and experienced teachers,” said Pugh. “We don’t want it to go into administration. We don’t want it to go into other things that don’t directly affect the classroom learning.”
In addition to adjusting the pay schedule, HB 1087 also mandates that public schools add one more day to the academic calendar. That provision drew scrutiny from some Democratic lawmakers, who questioned whether the $25 million allocation would be sufficient to cover both the extended pay scale and operational costs tied to the extra school day.
“So there will be no increase in salary for teachers who would potentially be required to work an additional day,” said Sen. Carri Hicks (D-Oklahoma City), voicing concerns during the debate.
In response, Pugh assured legislators that the funding package had accounted for the added expenses. “[We] are paying above and beyond what it really costs to run a school district,” he said.
The funding comes at a time when Oklahoma continues to struggle with teacher recruitment and retention. The state’s starting teacher salary remains below $40,000, trailing behind neighboring states that offer more competitive pay.
Earlier this session, Pugh introduced a separate proposal to raise the starting teacher salary to $50,000, but the measure did not pass. He indicated plans to revisit the issue in the next legislative session.
“We know that some of our surrounding states are already there, and we’re going to have to continue to evaluate that and look for ways to keep our men and women in the classroom,” Pugh said.
House Bill 1087 now heads to the governor’s desk for final approval.
