Oklahoma
State Senate
Senator John Ford, R-Bartlesville
(405) 521-5634
For Immediate Release: March 3, 2009
Sen. John Ford
Education Improvement Passes Senate
Schools on Needs Improvement List Given Options
Senator John
Ford’s Senate Bill 268 passed the State Senate Tuesday
with a 44-4 vote.
Senate Bill 268 requires that schools on the School
Improvement List for four consecutive years implement alternatives
to the way their schools are governed. Schools on this list have
for a certain amount of time failed to meet the requirements of
adequate yearly progress.
“Four years is long enough for a school to
be on the School Improvement List,” said Ford, who chairs
the Senate Education Committee. “Senate Bill 268 requires
alternatives for schools to transform their education system and
gives Oklahoma students the quality education they deserve.”
Under the provisions of SB 268, a school district
board of education can implement one of the following alternatives:
• Reopen the school as a public charter school.
• Replace some or all of the school’s
staff.
• Enter into a contract with an entity, such
as a private management company, with a demonstrated record of
effectiveness, to operate the public school.
• Turn operation of the school over to the
State Board of Education.
• Implement other major restructuring of the
school’s governance arrangement.
This bill also provides for the State Department
of Education to assume control of the school in certain instances
if the school remains on the School Improvement List.
For more information contact:
Sen. Ford's Office: 405-521-5634