The Senate Education Committee on Thursday voted to advance a broad set of education measures, led by Senate Bill 410 (the Oklahoma Computer Science Education Advancement Act of 2025), which would require every student to complete one unit of computer science or an industry-aligned career and technical education course for high school graduation beginning with students who enter eighth grade in the 2026-27 school year.

“It's a landmark initiative that will modernize Oklahoma's graduation requirements by ensuring that all students gain essential computer, science, and artificial intelligence skills,” Senator Stanley said as he presented the bill to the committee.

Why it matters: Committee members described the package as focused on workforce development, student safety and stabilizing the teacher pipeline. The committee held questions and limited debate on nearly every bill; most measures passed on unanimous or near-unanimous votes.

Key measures and outcomes

- Senate Bill 410 — Computer science graduation requirement: The bill requires one unit of computer science or an industry-aligned CTE course to count toward graduation starting with students entering eighth grade in 2026-27. The measure allows computer science to count as math, science, CTE or an elective and directs the State Board of Education to adopt standards and credential lists (reviewed at least every three years). The committee approved the bill, 9 ayes, 1 nay.

- Senate Bill 842 — Volunteer background checks: Senator Murdoch presented a proposal requiring background checks for volunteers at every school district and charter governing body; districts may charge volunteers for the cost of checks. Murdoch told the committee, “there are bad people in this world,” as he urged passage. The committee approved the bill, 11 ayes, 0 nays.

- Senate Bill 31 — Oklahoma National Guard Career Tech Assistance Program: Senator Hicks said the bill would create a revolving fund to pay tuition-equivalent assistance for eligible Guard members enrolled at career-technology centers, capped at $2,001.70 per individual; sponsors said they will seek an initial state investment (the author mentioned a $3,000,000 request for the revolving fund). Hicks told lawmakers the program is intended to be “the last dollar option” after federal benefits are applied. The committee approved the bill, 11 ayes, 0 nays.

- Senate Bill 186 — Emergency-to-permanency revolving fund for teacher certification: Senator Mann described a fund to help roughly 4,300 educators move from emergency certification to alternative certification and, ultimately, a regular teaching certificate. The bill would allow districts to draw down funds for subject-area test prep, tests and required semester hours; sponsors estimated about $2,500 per teacher as a representative cost and proposed an initial $2,000,000 first-come, first-served allocation. The committee approved the bill, 8 ayes, 1 nay.

- Senate Bill 745 — Adult high school diploma program: Senator Gillespie presented an amendment to expand eligibility for the adult high school learner program from age 26 to age 30 and require participation in virtual instruction. The committee approved the bill, 11 ayes, 0 nays.

- Senate Bill 792 — Student self-defense protections: Senator Jett said the bill would clarify that students have the right to use reasonable force to defend themselves in the classroom and would limit blanket “zero-tolerance” consequences that do not evaluate context. The committee approved the bill, 8 ayes, 3 nays.

- Senate Bill 141 — Statewide student information system: Senator Seifried said the bill directs the State Board of Education to run a competitive procurement for a single statewide student information system, citing data consistency and potential cost savings for districts that separately contract for student-information systems. The committee approved the bill, 8 ayes, 2 nays.

- Senate Bill 794 — Registered apprenticeship recognition for teacher candidates: The bill would allow the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (OEQA) to recognize registered apprenticeships as part of teacher pipeline pathways. The committee approved the bill, 10 ayes, 0 nays.

- Senate Bill 699 — Notice and hearings for recommended deficiencies: Senator Pugh presented language to require the State Board of Education to provide notice and an opportunity to be heard when a district faces recommended deficiencies; the committee approved the bill, 10 ayes, 0 nays.

- Senate Bill 707 — Accreditation timeline reform: The measure changes the accreditation cadence from site-by-site annual reviews to a district-level cycle that places districts without deficiencies on a four-year review schedule; the committee approved the bill, 9 ayes, 0 nays.

- Senate Bill 797 — Teacher due process and adjudication timeline: Senator Pugh brought a bill to codify grounds for disciplinary review of certificates and to require the State Board of Education to take action on certificate suspension or revocation within 60 days of notification; the committee approved the bill, 9 ayes, 0 nays.

- Senate Bill 842, SB 701, SB 760 and several smaller housekeeping bills also moved through the committee with majority support; the committee generally handled them as “due pass” motions with limited floor debate.

Notable fiscal notes and program details

- SB 31 (National Guard career tech assistance): sponsors said the program would be capped per participant (the bill text sets $2,001.70 per individual for certification/licensure programs) and that the author would seek an initial revolving-fund appropriation (the author cited a $3,000,000 request).

- SB 186 (teacher revolving fund): sponsors estimated approximately $2,500 per teacher to move someone from emergency to highly qualified certification, and proposed a $2,000,000 initial allocation.

- SB 244 (School of American Civic Thought and Leadership at the University of Oklahoma): Senator Pugh said the bill carries a first-year fiscal impact of about $1,500,000 and that the university already has some infrastructure; the committee approved the bill, 6 ayes, 3 nays.

What the committee did not decide

Committee members repeatedly emphasized that rulemaking and implementation details—such as the State Board of Education’s lists of accepted industry credentials, procurement specifics for a statewide student system, and the precise mechanics of fund disbursement—would be handled after passage through board rules, future appropriations language or follow-up legislation. Several senators requested follow-up reporting or asked sponsors to consider “last-dollar” language so state funds supplement rather than supplant federal or other benefits.

Quotes from the hearing

- “It's a landmark initiative that will modernize Oklahoma's graduation requirements by ensuring that all students gain essential computer, science, and artificial intelligence skills,” Senator Stanley said of SB 410.

- “There are bad people in this world,” Senator Murdoch said while presenting SB 842, the volunteer background-check bill.

- “I believe that this would be the last dollar option,” Senator Hicks said when asked whether the National Guard career-tech assistance would stack with federal GI Bill benefits.

What happens next

Bills approved by the Senate Education Committee will move to further Senate consideration and, where applicable, to the Appropriations Committee for review of funding. Several measures depend on separate appropriations or rulemaking by the State Board of Education or OEQA for full implementation.

Ending note: The committee handled more than a dozen bills at the hearing, focusing on workforce-aligned education requirements, teacher-certification pipelines and safety measures in schools; most measures advanced on strong bipartisan margins.