Bill allowing adjunct early childhood teachers stalls in Oklahoma Senate

OKLAHOMA CITY — A bill that would open early childhood classrooms to uncertified adjunct teachers failed to become law this year, but lawmakers could consider it again in 2026.

House Bill 2125 passed the House and narrowly survived the Senate Education Committee, but the legislative session ended without it being heard on the Senate floor. 

The bill’s author, Rep. Clay Staires, R-Skiatook, said he intends to work with senators over the summer with the goal of passing HB 2125 next year. It’s still eligible for consideration when the state Legislature reconvenes at the Capitol on Feb. 2.

The bill would allow school districts to fill pre-K through third-grade teaching positions with adjunct teachers, who are defined as having relevant career experience but aren’t required to have a college degree nor any educator certification.

State law allows districts to hire adjunct teachers except for early childhood and special education positions. Emergency certified teachers, who must have at least a bachelor’s degree in any subject, are required to complete a state-approved training to work with students in early grade levels.

Staires, a former teacher, said his bill could open up more options for district superintendents dealing with a shortage of qualified teaching candidates. HB 2125 isn’t the only answer to the teacher shortage, he said, but it could be part of the solution.

“You and I both assume that the superintendent isn’t just looking for a warm body,” Staires said. “Definitely, they want to get the best person available for that position. And I’ve heard from some superintendents that there are very good people that they could choose from, but right now the law doesn’t allow it.”

The bill faced pushback, including from the state’s largest teacher union, over objections to lowering the qualifications to teach at a critical point in a child’s education.

The leader of the Senate Education Committee was among the bill’s opponents. 

Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, said adjunct teachers could be a quality option at higher grade levels, like an engineer teaching a science or math class, but lower elementary classrooms need educators who are trained to teach the foundations of reading and math skills.

Lawmakers in recent years have increased requirements for current and future teachers to be trained in the science of reading, which emphasizes phonics. Allowing candidates without that expertise into early childhood classrooms seems like “taking a step backwards,” Pugh said, especially when considering Oklahoma’s poor reading scores and high numbers of emergency certified teachers. 

“In this particular stage (of a child’s education), I felt like you need the people who are trained properly and who know how to engage the classroom,” Pugh said. “That’s a specific skill set.”

The Senate Education Committee approved an amendment to HB 2125 that would require adjunct candidates to complete a science of reading training by the end of their second year in the classroom. Pugh noted during committee debate, though, that students are “toast” if they have an early childhood teacher who hasn’t yet completed any training.

Staires said he is open to adding a certain number of training hours or specific courses to the bill for adjunct teachers to complete.

“What I’m hearing from superintendents (is), yes, there is technical training that is very important,” Staires said. “But the superintendents I’m talking with are saying that’s something we can train them. What we can’t train is love for children and a love for teaching.”

HB 2125 could be considered on the Senate floor next year. Staires said he is confident the policy will pass both chambers of the state Legislature.