Decisions made at 23rd and Lincoln brought a cascade of changes to Coyle Public Schools, about 40 miles north.
This year, students in Coyle attended class in person Monday through Thursday, and studied online every Friday until spring break, when Fridays became part of the weekend. Teachers still met at school for professional development and collaboration on some Fridays. Student athletes attended games and track meets without missing lessons.
Ninety-three percent of the families surveyed supported the schedule, Superintendent Colby Cagle said. But to comply with new laws from the state legislature, Coyle schools’ calendar for next year includes 173 school days, all in person. It’ll cost about $128,000 more to operate the district, and necessitate a number of other adjustments, Cagle said.
“We’re not happy about the change, but we’re going to embrace it and we’re going to make the best out of it,” he said.
Hundreds of school districts across the state will find similar changes necessary as a 2025 law cracking down on virtual days and a 2026 law lengthening the minimum school year take effect.
As the Legislature prepares to adjourn for the year, Oklahoma Watch looked at some of the most consequential changes coming to public schools.
Pay, Funding and Choices
Senate Bill 201 raised minimum teacher compensation by $2,000 at each level of experience and education. It goes into effect in the 2026-27 school year. Starting teachers with a bachelor’s degree would earn at least $41,601 in combined salary and benefits, up from $39,601.
Legislators increased the cap for the Parental Choice Tax Credit by $25 million with House Bill 3705. Starting in fiscal year 2027, the total amount of available credits is $275 million. The program, a major initiative for the Legislature and Governor Kevin Stitt in 2023, offers families a refundable tax credit of $5,000 to $7,500 for private school tuition and fees. Though it’s called a refundable tax credit, it functions like a voucher because families can advance the funds from the Oklahoma Tax Commission in a process that’s separate from income tax filing. One in five recipients, or 21%, reported household income of more than $250,000 a year, significantly higher than the state’s median income of $65,039, and many had students already attending private schools.
Early Childhood Literacy
The legislature and the governor prioritized reading reforms this session, and the result was Senate Bill 1778, which amends the Strong Readers Act. The provisions begin in the 2027-28 school year. The bill requires third graders to score basic or above on the statewide reading test, or earn an acceptable score on an alternative test, or qualify for a good-cause exemption, to move on to fourth grade. Those who can’t will repeat third grade.
The retention provision could have a significant impact on students, families and schools. Oklahoma Department of Education data shows 21,300 third graders, or 43% of those tested, in 2024-25 failed to meet the test score required and would have been retained unless they qualified for a limited exception.
The legislation also requires schools to give second graders the third-grade reading test, but parents can opt out. And it codifies additional reading interventions schools must employ in state law.
The bill is a mixed bag, with some good components and some that are worrisome, said Erin Brewer, chair of the Democratic Party.
“I really do like the early intervention work and the extra funding for training around literacy and literacy tutoring,” she said. “I’m really concerned around strictness on retention. I think that can really be damaging to kids over the long run.”
Longer School Recess
Under Senate Bill 1481, schools must provide students in kindergarten through 5th grades 40 minutes of recess per day. Recess can be divided into two 20-minute periods, but it must be supervised, unstructured time for play. Schools can’t withhold recess for discipline. The policy takes effect in the 2026-27 school year. A related proposal to increase the minimum time for P.E. in schools, from 60 minutes to 150 minutes per week, stalled in the Senate and did not become law.
School Calendars
The Legislature took a step toward lengthening the school year in most districts with House Bill 3151. State law requires schools to be in session at least 181 days each year, but schools that adopt a longer school day can utilize a shorter year and count class time by hours. The new law requires those school districts to be in session a minimum of 173 days, up from 166. The minimum of 1,086 hours remained the same. It takes effect in 2027 but only if the Legislature that year appropriates at least an additional $175 million to the Oklahoma Department of Education.
“The more time our students can get in front of a high-quality teacher, the better,” said Shawn Hime, executive director of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association, which supported the bill.
Schools’ ability to count hours, instead of days, came after a powerful ice storm in 2010 that shuttered schools for over a week. By 2025, nearly all school districts used the provision to meet fewer than 181 days, Department of Education data shows.
Related legislation approved in 2025 virtually eliminates online school days in traditional school districts. Only two are allowed per year, and only if the governor declares a state of emergency or proclamation and the school district already has an approved plan to provide virtual instruction. That bill goes into effect in the 2026-27 school year. Statewide virtual charter schools and full-time virtual education programs operated by school districts are exempt.
Student Cell Phones
House Bill 1276 extends the bell-to-bell student cellphone ban implemented last year. The 2025 legislation required only a one-year ban, but lawmakers this year made it permanent. The law bars students from using cellphones or smartwatches during school hours except in an emergency. Students who use smart devices to monitor health conditions also have an exception.
Oklahoma Watch, at oklahomawatch.org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.
