To ensure that Oklahoma students continue to receive a great education and to make the state more welcoming for new residents, Governor Kevin Stitt recently took bold action to attract more of the best and brightest teachers.
In his State of the State address earlier this year, Governor Stitt committed to the people of Oklahoma that he would “continue to recruit the best teachers,” by “working to issue a teaching certificate to anyone who holds a valid out-of-state teaching certification, with no other requirements” apart from routine background checks.
The governor kept his word, and fulfilled his pledge as he signed legislation requiring the Oklahoma State Board of Education to recognize out-of-state certificates, allowing those educators to more rapidly get to work educating the Sooner State’s next generation.
Governor Stitt’s decision has been lauded by teachers seeking to expand their professional opportunities and education officials who had previously expressed that there were “a lot of roadblocks and barriers in the past for out-of-state teachers.” By removing these tedious barriers, class sizes will be reduced, and the state will be in a stronger position to recruit new teachers.
In less than two years in office, Governor Stitt has established a record as an ardent supporter of education and an advocate for improving the lives and livelihoods of Oklahoma’s educators. In addition to making Oklahoma a more desirable place for teachers to relocate, the governor also increased funding for teacher pay by nearly $60 million, which resulted in average teacher pay increases of more than $1,200 per year.
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