A. It is hereby declared to be the intent of the Legislature to establish a continuing education program whereby teachers employed to teach mathematics may obtain certification in mathematics and teachers certified to teach mathematics in the state may take higher education courses in order to obtain the competencies needed to enable the teacher to successfully complete the subject area examinations and become certified to teach any of the core curriculum mathematics courses recommended by the American College Test. The program shall pay up to One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) per credit hour up to a maximum of twenty-four (24) credit hours for a teacher to take higher education courses in mathematics. Teachers required to gain certification as provided in Section 6-189.1 of this title shall be given priority in the funding for the continuing education program. The purpose of the program is to improve the knowledge and skills of teachers and to ensure that the children of the state are taught by professional educators, fully prepared in the area of mathematics.

B. Implementation of this section shall be contingent upon the appropriation of state funds by the Legislature for the specific purpose of implementing this section. Nothing in this section shall prevent the State Board of Education or a school district board of education from utilizing private, local, or federal funds to implement this section.

C. Implementation of this section shall be delayed until the current expenditure per pupil in average daily attendance in public elementary and secondary schools in unadjusted dollars for the 1998-99 school year or any school year thereafter for Oklahoma, as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics annually in the Digest of Education Statistics, reaches at least ninety percent (90%) of the regional average expenditure for that same year, and funds are provided. For purposes of this section, the regional average expenditure shall consist of the current expenditure per pupil in average daily attendance in public elementary and secondary schools in unadjusted dollars for each of the following states: Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, averaged together. By January 1 of each year, the State Board of Education shall report whether or not the ninety-percent expenditure level has been reached based on information reported annually in the Digest of Education Statistics by the National Center for Education Statistics. This section shall be implemented on July 1 after the first January 1 report verifies that the ninety-percent expenditure level has been reached and funds have been provided for the specific purposes of this section.

Added by Laws 1999, c. 320, § 45, eff. July 1, 1999. Amended by Laws 2001, c. 201, § 2; Laws 2003, c. 434, § 21.