Children of veteran Oklahoma teachers would get free tuition under proposed law

A proposal to expand the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship program to cover children of veteran public-school teachers in the state received approval Monday from a House of Representatives subcommittee.

House Bill 3454, authored by Rep. Anthony Moore, R-Clinton, would expand Oklahoma's Promise eligibility to children of certified, full-time teachers who have been employed by a public-school district in Oklahoma for at least 10 years. It passed the House education budget subcommittee by an 11-0 vote and advanced to be heard by the House Appropriations and Budget Committee.

“It’s a big change,” Moore acknowledged. “I knew it would rock the boat a little bit. It would make some impact. … It’s time for me to do some heavier (legislative) lifts that are going to be impactful long-term.”

What is Oklahoma's Promise and how would the program benefit teachers?

In 1992, the Legislature created the Oklahoma’s Promise program — then known as the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program — which allows students from families meeting certain income requirements to earn a college or technology center tuition scholarship. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education administer the program.

Moore, the chair of the House Higher Education and CareerTech committee, said the bill would help Oklahoma recruit and retain teachers, retain college students and help in the state’s workforce development efforts, as students who attend an in-state school often stay in Oklahoma.

He said the measure would have a minimal financial impact, estimating a cost to the state of about $3.5 million a year. More said the return on investment makes the program worth it.

“We’ve done a lot funding-wise, just straight dollar-wise, for education the last few years that I’ve been here,” Moore said. “I’m not saying it’s enough — there’s always more to do. But we’re looking at ways we can make an impact … one of the ways I really wanted to be impactful is to provide something for longevity.”

Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Del City, said during Monday’s meeting that because “children often times follow in the footsteps of their parents,” if the children of teachers took advantage of such a program, it would be “wonderful for a competently trained teacher to exit one of our universities debt-free, so they can just go teach.”

Moore said the income requirements for the Oklahoma’s Promise program would be waived for teachers who meet the 10-year standard.

“That teacher is still serving the public, because they’ve taught for at least 10 years,” he said. “In that scenario, they’re not doing it for the money; they’re doing it for the kids and for the future of the state, so I want to give them the same benefit.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma's Promise could be expanded to children of veteran teachers