Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-6-131: Teacher recruitment programs

Subject to the availability of funds, the State Department of

Education and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education,

working in cooperation, shall:

1. Develop and implement programs to identify talented students

and recruit those students and other persons into the teaching

profession. Persons targeted for recruitment may include anyone

eligible for lawful employment;

2. Develop and distribute materials that emphasize the

importance of the teaching profession and inform individuals about

state-funded loan forgiveness and tuition assistance programs;

3. Give priority to developing and implementing recruitment

programs to address the areas of teacher shortage identified and the

recommendations made in the educator supply-and-demand study as

required by Section 6-211 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes. The

Department may use discretionary funds to carry out the provisions

of this paragraph;

4. Encourage cooperation between the business community and

school districts to develop recruitment programs designed to attract

and retain capable teachers, including programs to provide summer

employment opportunities for teachers; and

5. Encourage major education associations to cooperate in

developing a long-range program promoting teaching as a prestigious,

respected and desirable career and to assist in identifying local

activities and resources that may be used to promote the teaching

profession.