A. Beginning July 1, 2019, and for each plan year thereafter, a person employed by any school district or employed by a technology center school district, who holds a valid certificate issued by the State Department of Education or the State Board of Career and Technology Education, and is employed on a full-time basis to serve as a teacher, principal, supervisor, administrator, superintendent, counselor, librarian or certified or registered nurse shall have credited against the employee contribution amount, an annual amount based upon qualifying years of service as follows:

YEARS OF SERVICECREDIT AMOUNT

0$60.15

1$103.41

2$145.65

3$188.15

4$233.33

5$278.76

6$325.26

7$372.82

8$421.44

9$471.12

10$521.87

11$573.67

12$626.54

13$680.48

14$735.47

15$791.53

16$848.65

17$906.83

18$966.07

19$1,026.38

20$1,087.75

21$1,150.18

22$1,213.68

23$1,278.23

24$1,343.85

25 or more$1,410.53

B. The state shall pick up for tax purposes and pay the annual amount prescribed by subsection A of this section, based upon the conditions prescribed by subsection A of this section, to the Teachers' Retirement System. The annual amount prescribed by subsection A of this section shall be divided into monthly amounts as may be required in order to give full effect to the credit amount without the necessity of dividing the annual credit amount into twelve (12) equal installments.

C. If an eligible member under this section terminates service prior to June 30 of any applicable plan year, the amounts prescribed by subsection A of this section, and transferred to the Teachers' Retirement System from the State Board of Education and the State Board of Career and Technology Education shall be retained by the Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma and treated as an actuarial gain of the System.

D. If an employing school district has contractually committed to make payment of the employee contributions required by Section 17-116.2 of this title for a member who is eligible for the credit amount prescribed by subsection A of this section for the fiscal year, using funds available to the district and not by effecting the employee contribution through a deduction from the member's gross salary, the district shall pay additional compensation to each of its eligible teachers in an amount equal to the amount prescribed by subsection A of this section based upon the number of years of teaching experience of the eligible member.

E. If an eligible member is hired by a school district or a technology center school district and receives compensation for less than one hundred eighty (180) days of service, the district shall determine a pro rata amount of the annual credit amount and shall pay additional compensation to the member equal to the pro rata amount for each month during which the member is employed. The monthly credit amount for such member shall be added to the member's compensation beginning with the first full month during which the member is employed by the district.

F. The amount required to be added to the compensation of the eligible member pursuant to subsection D of this section shall be subject to any applicable federal or state taxes upon the additional income.

G. The amount required to be added to the compensation of the eligible member pursuant to subsection D of this section shall not be treated as regular annual compensation for purposes of Section 17-116.2 of this title or as salary or fringe benefits for purposes of determining any applicable statutory minimum salary requirements or for purposes of meeting the requirements of any locally adopted salary schedule.

H. The employing district shall prepare its payroll records to reflect that the total employee contribution amount, for the salary not in excess of the applicable minimum salary amount, has been paid pursuant to a combination of the payment from the funds of the employing district and the amount credited to the employee contribution account of the member pursuant to subsection A of this section.

I. If an employing school district has contractually committed to deduct employee contributions required by Section 17-116.2 of this title by effecting the employee contribution through a deduction from the member's gross salary, the district shall decrease the amount of the payroll deduction for such employee contribution by the amount as prescribed in subsection A of this section, based upon the number of years of teaching experience of the member. The amount required to be subtracted from the amount by which the employee's gross salary would otherwise be reduced pursuant to this subsection shall be subject to any applicable federal or state taxes. The employing district shall prepare its payroll records to reflect that the total employee contribution amount, for the salary not in excess of the applicable minimum salary amount, has been paid pursuant to a combination of the deduction from the member's salary and the amount credited to the employee contribution account of the member pursuant to subsection A of this section.

Added by Laws 1997, c. 300, § 1, eff. July 1, 1997. Amended by Laws 1998, c. 378, § 1, eff. July 1, 1998; Laws 2000, c. 418, § 82, eff. July 1, 2000; Laws 2001, c. 33, § 116, eff. July 1, 2001; Laws 2019, c. 268, § 3, eff. July 1, 2019.