Three bills which reduce the paperwork for schools were signed into law by Governor Fallin this week. The recommendations come from the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s (OSDE) Red Tap Task Force.
“We are grateful to the Legislature and Gov. Fallin for accepting the recommendations of the Red Tape Task Force,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister. “These new laws are an encouraging first step in making school reporting and paperwork more efficient and less time consuming. In this dire budget climate, it is imperative that OSDE take the lead in reducing needless or duplicative mandates that cost schools time, money and energy.”
Senate Bill 1004 changes reporting of students who drop out of school from quarterly to annually.
House Bill 2544 moves back the date for schools to notify the State Board of Education that they adopted a school hours policy. The new deadline is October 15. It also eliminates the requirement of submitting an impact report for adopting an extended day schedule. Additionally, any grade is eligible for an extended day.
House Bill 2649 allows for two specified school days to be counted for attendance purposes in any 24-hour period only if one of the school days is for parent-teacher conferences without seeking a State Board of Education waiver.
“These three bills are a good start, but much remains to be done,” said Hofmeister. “Members of the task force’s three standing subcommittees continue to meet regularly to identify time- and cost-saving measures to OSDE and state policymakers, and we expect to have additional legislative recommendations next year. We owe it to our schoolchildren to ensure that teachers and administrators are able to use their limited educational hours and dollars in ways that directly benefit the classroom.”
