Fallin Signs Education Reform Bill

Governor Fallin today signed into law House Bill 1380, an education reform measure that makes it easier to dismiss underperforming teachers.

Under the current system, tenured teachers who are dismissed by local school boards can appeal that decision in district court. The appeals process, known as “trial de novo,” assures that dismissing underperforming teachers is both a lengthy and expensive process for schools. HB 1380 eliminates “trial de novo” and reforms the system to allow locally elected school boards to let teachers go without a long and costly appeals process.

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) released this statement after Fallin signed the bill.

 “This is an incredibly important reform, and it’s been a long time coming,” said Brandon Dutcher, vice president at the OCPA. “Hats off to the legislature and to Gov. Fallin for recognizing that they owe it to students—and to taxpayers—to make it easier to get rid of bad teachers. This is another important education reform in a legislative session that is shaping up to produce quite a few of them.”

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