Comprehensive Teacher Pay Reform

Teachers who sign a contract to teach as secondary math or science teachers in a rural public school for the 2024-2025 school year will be rewarded financially. Eligible teachers are those who did not teach in an Oklahoma public school during the 2023-2024 school year. Teachers will be eligible to receive signing bonuses between $15,000 and $25,000 based on these criteria: 

• In-state certified secondary math or science teachers - $15,000
• Out-of-state certified secondary math or science teachers - $25,000 
  

Eligibility 
Eligible teachers are those who did not teach in an Oklahoma public school during the 2023-2024 school year. Eligible teachers must meet these criteria: 

• Holds an alternative or standard certification in secondary math or secondary science. 
• Hired to teach during the 2024-2025 school year with a rural Oklahoma Public School.  

Eligible Secondary Science and Math Certifications 

Math: 

• Advanced Mathematics (Grades 5-12)
• Middle Level Mathematics (Grades 5-8)
• Intermediate Mathematics (Grades 5-12)

Science: 

• Middle Level Science (Grades 5-8) 
• Biological Sciences (Grades 5-12) 
• Chemistry (Grades 5-12) 
• Earth Science (Grades 5-12) 
• Physics (Grades 5-12) 
• Physical Science (Grades 5-12) 

Rural Schools - Click here for eligible districts

A rural designation for the purposes of the signing bonus program, is based on the percentage of rural school sites within a district. The threshold to be considered “rural” is 75% or more school sites being designated as a rural locale. Districts considered town distant and town remote that have under 2000 students enrolled also meet the “rural” threshold for the purposes of this program. This data comes from census data that can be found on the following webpage: https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/.

For more information please see the FAQ.

Contact: SignOnBonus@sde.ok.gov

Timeline:
June 3rd - September 1st, 2024 - Applications are available in OSDE Single Sign On System.
August - OSDE team notifies teachers and districts of eligibility. 
September - OSDE will send payments to districts.

An additional $21M from the Oklahoma Education Lottery Trust Fund is available in the Teacher Empowerment Revolving Fund. This brings the Teacher Empowerment Revolving Fund total to nearly $45M as year two of the Teacher Empowerment Program begins. 

The funds provide a career ladder structure for effective teachers. School districts can identify and designate up to 10% of their highest-quality teachers for advanced, lead, and master designations annually. The passing of SB1256 removed the barrier that districts must match funds when designating high-quality teachers for the program. Teachers will receive a minimum $3,000 to $10,000 pay increase depending on the designation level. Teachers employed at a school with economically disadvantaged students (40% or more), or at a district with enrollment below 1,000 students, will receive an additional one-time award of $1,500 to $5,000 depending on their designation.  

District Superintendents may begin submitting applications on July 1.

Teacher Empowerment Program
OTEP District Guidance
Single Sign-on/GMS Instructions for Districts
OTEP Application Guidance

Contact: OTEP@sde.ok.gov