Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-3-129.11: School District Empowerment Program

A. There is hereby established the School District Empowerment

Program which shall be administered by the State Board of Education.

The purpose of the program is to empower locally elected school

board members to govern school districts and make decisions based on

the needs of their students and circumstances.

B. 1. Subject to the provisions of this section, a school

district shall be allowed to submit a request to the State Board of

Education for an exemption from all statutory requirements and State

Board of Education rules from which charter schools are exempt, as

provided for in the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act. Any request for

exemption shall include a plan which outlines the goals sought to be

achieved at a minimum, include the educational and fiscal benefits

and the anticipated impacts or outcomes the plan will have in the

district.

2. Within ninety (90) days after receiving the request and

plan, the State Board shall approve or disapprove the request. If

the State Board does not approve the request, it shall provide to

the school district a written explanation of the basis for its

decision. The school district may resubmit an amended request at

any time after the denial. The request shall be approved by the

State Board before implementation by the school district. An

approved request and plan shall be for no longer than three (3)

years. Prior to the beginning of the third year, the school

district may apply for renewal of the approved request and plan.

The school district shall be required to submit an annual report and

the State Board shall annually assess the academic achievement and

fiscal status of the school district.

C. Nothing in this section shall prevent a school district

board of education from choosing to follow any or all state laws,

rules or regulations from which a charter school is exempt. A

school district which has been granted approval by the State Board

for exemption as set forth in subsection B of this section shall

have the option to adopt policies to implement any requirement for

the school district that is consistent with any statutory

requirement or mandate or State Board rule, but a participating

school shall comply with the following requirements:

1. Students who reside in the school district shall be entitled

to attend school in the district as set forth in Section 1-114 of

this title;

2. School districts shall comply with the requirements of the

minimum salary schedule for teachers as set forth in Section 18-

114.12 of this title;

3. Employees of school districts shall continue to participate

as members of the Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma as set

forth in Section 17-101 et seq. of this title;

4. School districts shall comply with the requirement to

provide a health insurance plan for school district employees as set

forth in Section 5-117.5 of this title and to establish or make

available to school district employees a cafeteria plan as set forth

in Section 26-104 of this title;

5. School districts shall require any person employed by the

school district to file with the district board a current Oklahoma

criminal history record check from the Oklahoma State Bureau of

Investigation as well as a national criminal history record check as

defined in Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Each

district shall adopt a policy regarding criminal history record

checks as set forth in Section 5-142 of this title;

6. School districts shall comply with the requirement to

evaluate teachers and to train personnel designated to conduct

personnel evaluations as set forth in Sections 6-101.10 and 6-101.11

of this title, the dismissal and due process procedures for

administrators as set forth in Sections 6-101.13 through 6-101.15 of

this title and the due process procedures for teachers as set forth

s title;

6. School districts shall comply with the requirement to

evaluate teachers and to train personnel designated to conduct

personnel evaluations as set forth in Sections 6-101.10 and 6-101.11

of this title, the dismissal and due process procedures for

administrators as set forth in Sections 6-101.13 through 6-101.15 of

this title and the due process procedures for teachers as set forth

in Sections 6-101.21 through 6-101.26 of this title;

7. School districts shall comply with the requirement to make

payroll deductions for either or both professional organization dues

and political contributions upon the request of an employee as set

forth in Section 5-139 of this title;

8. School districts shall comply with the dismissal and due

process procedures for education support employees as set forth in

Sections 6-101.40 through 6-101.47 of this title;

9. School districts shall employ as teachers, counselors,

librarians, school nurses, superintendents, principals, supervisors

or any other instructional, supervisory or administrative employee

only those persons who are certified by the State Board of Education

in accordance with the Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act, except for

persons exempt from the certification requirements as otherwise

provided by law;

10. School districts shall provide for negotiations between

school employees and school districts as set forth in Sections 509.1

through 509.11 of this title;

11. School districts shall be required to offer and students

enrolled in the school district shall be required to complete the

curriculum requirements as set forth in Section 11-103.6 of this

title;

12. Students enrolled in the school district shall be required

to demonstrate mastery of the state academic content standards as

set forth in Section 1210.523 of this title; and

13. Members of the school district board of education shall be

required to satisfy the instruction and continuing education

requirements as set forth in Sections 5-110, 5-110.1 and 5-110.2 of

this title.