Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-6-204.2

A. The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability

and the State Board of Education are authorized to establish the

Education Leadership Oklahoma program.

B. The purposes of the Education Leadership Oklahoma program

are to:

1. Provide teachers throughout the state information about

National Board certification and the Education Leadership Oklahoma

program services;

2. Provide technical assistance and National-Board-certified

mentors to all teachers seeking National Board certification upon

request;

3. Reward teachers who are seeking National Board certification

by awarding them a portion of the National Board certification cost

as provided in subsection D of this section; and

4. Provide recognition to National-Board-certified teachers.

C. To fulfill the objectives of the Education Leadership

Oklahoma Act, the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation shall:

1. Inform teachers of the Education Leadership Oklahoma program

and services it provides to teachers seeking National Board

certification, emphasizing recruiting efforts toward teachers at

high-poverty schools, schools identified as in need of improvement

and in districts with the lowest percentage of teachers who have

achieved National Board certification; and

2. Ensure that all teachers seeking National Board

certification receive adequate information regarding the level of

commitment required to acquire National Board certification.

D. The Commission shall select not more than one hundred

applicants to participate in the program each fiscal year for whom

the Commission shall pay up to One Thousand Eight Hundred Dollars

($1,800.00) of the National Board certification cost.

E. The Commission shall promulgate rules establishing a process

for accepting applications for the Education Leadership Oklahoma

program and for providing to applicants selected for the program up-

front payment of the National Board certification cost. If a

selected applicant who receives the up-front payment does not

fulfill all submission requirements for National Board certification

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools Page 467

as established by the certification vendor within the maximum

allowable time frame, the applicant will be required to repay the

full amount of the component fees paid on his or her behalf, the

applicant shall repay the Commission the full amount paid by the

Commission pursuant to subsection D of this section. Subject to the

availability of funding, all selected applicants who do not receive

an up-front payment and successfully complete National Board

certification shall be reimbursed by the Commission for the National

Board certification cost. The total amount of reimbursement paid by

the Commission shall not exceed One Thousand Eight Hundred Dollars

($1,800.00).

F. Subject to the availability of funding, all teachers seeking

initial National Board certification either through the Education

Leadership Oklahoma Scholarship program or paying their own way

shall be eligible to participate in Education Leadership Oklahoma

mentoring for up to three (3) years to assist them in meeting the

requirements of the National Board certification process, free of

charge.

G. Subject to district board of education policy or collective

bargaining agreement, additional professional leave days may be

granted to teachers seeking National Board certification for

National Board certification portfolio development. During the two
mentoring for up to three (3) years to assist them in meeting the

requirements of the National Board certification process, free of

charge.

G. Subject to district board of education policy or collective

bargaining agreement, additional professional leave days may be

granted to teachers seeking National Board certification for

National Board certification portfolio development. During the two

(2) days of the additional professional days granted to teachers for

National Board certification portfolio development, a substitute

teacher shall be provided by the school district at no cost to the

teacher.

H. 1. The State Board of Education shall provide to teachers

who attained National Board certification prior to June 30, 2013, a

bonus in the amount of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) annually

over a ten-year period, to be paid no later than January 31 each

year. The Board shall provide a bonus to any teacher who attains

National Board certification after June 30, 2013, if the teacher was

selected for the Education Leadership Oklahoma program before June

30, 2013, or the teacher has submitted an application for National

Board certification to the National Board for Professional Teaching

Standards before June 30, 2013.

2. The teachers eligible to receive the annual bonus as

provided for in paragraph 1 of this subsection shall receive the

annual bonus for the ten-year duration of their National Board

certification and so long as they are teaching in the classroom

full-time in an Oklahoma public school. No school or school

district shall be liable for payment of bonuses pursuant to this

section.

3. The bonus shall not be included in the calculation of the

teacher's salary for purposes of meeting the district or statutory

minimum salary schedule or for purposes of compensating Oklahoma

Teachers' Retirement System contributions or benefits.

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools Page 468

4. Teachers eligible to receive the annual bonus as provided

for in paragraph 1 of this subsection shall not be eligible to

receive the additional salary increment for National Board

certification as set forth in the minimum salary schedule in Section

18-114.15 of this title.

5. Teachers who attain National Board certification after June

30, 2013, shall be eligible to receive the additional salary

increments for National Board certification as set forth in the

minimum salary schedule in Section 18-114.15 of this title.

6. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules for a

process by which a National-Board-certified teacher will verify

that:

a. the National Board certification has not lapsed,

b. the teacher is still a full-time teacher, and

c. for teachers eligible for the bonus, the teacher has

not exceeded the limit of annual bonus payments as

provided for in paragraph 1 of this subsection.

I. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Oklahoma State

Regents for Higher Education incorporate the National Board

certification portfolio development into all programs in education

leading to a master's level degree.