Oklahoma State Board of Education
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The Oklahoma State Board of Education is the state education agency of the State of Oklahoma charged with determining the policies and directing the administration and supervision of the public school system of Oklahoma. The State Board of Education, along with Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction and such agencies as established by law or by the State Board of Education compose the Oklahoma State Department of Education, which the State Board of Education serves as governing board of and of the public school system of the state.
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[edit] Composition
At the ratification of the Oklahoma Constitution in 1907, the State Superintendent, the Governor of Oklahoma, the Secretary of State of Oklahoma, and the Attorney General of Oklahoma served as the State Board of Education. With the passage of the Oklahoma School Code of 1971, the Board consisted of seven members: the State Superintendent (who serves as Chair, and is elected at large) and six members appointed by the Governor by and with the advice and consent of the Oklahoma Senate. In order to be eligible to serve on the Board, members must possess a high school diploma or certificate of high school equivalency. The members appointed by the Governor serve staggered six year terms so that one member's term expires every year.
All appointments take effect on April 2 of the year of appointment. Excluding the State Superintendent, there must be at least one member representing each congressional district of the State. Any remaining members are appointed from the state at large, provided that only one member may represent any given county, city or town. In the event of vacancy, the Governor appoints a new member, subject to confirmation by the Senate at the next session of the Legislature, to serve the remainder of the unexpired term.
Members of the Board serve without compensation but are reminbursed for travel expenses.
[edit] Current membership
- Sandy Garrett, State Superintendent of Public Instruction and Chair of the Board
- Larry E. Adair of Stilwell
- Sue Arnn of Ardmore
- Debbie Blue of Shawnee
- Tim Gilpin of Tulsa
- Gayle Miles-Scott of Oklahoma City
- Michael Mitchel of Woodward
[edit] Powers and Responsibilities
It is the primary responsibility of the Board to perform all duties necessary to the administration of the public school system in Oklahoma as specified in the Oklahoma School Code of 1971.
The Board is responsible for establishing and prescribing the duties of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, who is the chief executive officer of the State Department of Education and the Oklahoma public school system. Such duties include the responsibility to give advice and make recommendations to the Board on all matters pertaining to the policies and administration of the State Department of Education and the Oklahoma public school system. The State Superintendent is thus responsible for administering and enforcing the adopted policies and rules established by the Board.
The Board organizes and has control over the administrative and supervisory agencies, divisions, and personnel of the State Department of Education. A such, it is the Board's responsibility to submit to the Governor a departmental budget based upon major functions of the State Department of Education based on the needs of local school districts. Appropriation requested by the Board must include State Aid to local schools as well as funds for free textbooks, school lunches, and Indian education. The funds appropriated by the Oklahoma Legislature to be used by the Board as determined by the Board. However, all funds must be consolidate into two items: administration and aid to schools.
On the December 1 of each year, the Board must prepare and deliver to the Governor and the Legislature an annual report for preceding year. The annual report must contain detailed statistics and other information concerning enrollment, attendance, expenditures (including State Aid), and other pertinent data for all public schools in the State. Also, reports from each and every division, department, institution or other agency under the supervision of the Board are included in the annual report. In such annual report, the Board may make such recommendations for the improvement of the public school system of the state as the Board deems necessary. Each annual report must also include a statement of the receipts and expenditures of the Board for the past year, and a statement of plans and recommendations for the management and improvement of public schools of the state.
It is the responsibility of the Board to formulate and adopt the curriculum, courses of study and other instructional aids necessary for the adequate instruction of Oklahoma' students in the public schools of the state. The Board has the authority to the license and certify the instructional, supervisory and administrative personnel of the public schools of the state. Also, the Board has the authority to issue the rules governing the classification, inspection, supervision and accrediting of all public nursery, kindergarten, elementary and secondary schools and on-site educational services provided by public school districts or state-accredited private schools. However, no school may be denied accreditation by the Board based solely on the basis of average daily attendance.
The Board is the statutory agency of the State of Oklahoma that is responsible for the provisions of any Act of Congress appropriating or apportioning funds provided for use in connection with any phase of the system of public education in Oklahoma. In addition, the Board is designated as the agency of the State of Oklahoma that is responsible for cooperating and dealing with any officer, board or authority of the federal government of the United States charged with the administration of public schools.
When deemed necessary by the Board, the Board can require any person having administrative control of any school districts in Oklahoma to make regular or special reports regarding the activities of the schools in their districts. In requiring such reports, the Board has the authority to withhold any or all state funds under its control, to withhold official recognition, including accrediting, until such required reports have been filed and accepted by the Board. The Board may revoke the certificates of any person failing or refusing to make reports to the Board.
It is the duty and responsibility of the Board to provide for the health and safety of school children and school personnel while under the jurisdiction of school authorities. This includes providing for the supervision of the transportation of students and, upon request of the local school board, to act on behalf of the public schools of the state in the purchase of transportation equipment. When local school boards proposed structure changes to their school buildings, the Board has the authority to review the preliminary plans for new construction and major alterations.
While the Board establishes rules for the classification, inspection and accreditation of public schools under the jurisdiction of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, the Board must recognize that the Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections is the administrative authority for those schools, including appointing the principals and teachers of such schools.
[edit] See also
- Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Public education
- Public education in the United States
- Board of education
- Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education
[edit] External links
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