Oklahoma must close the teacher pay gap.
Oklahoma's Teacher Pay Crisis Oklahoma ranks 45th in the nation for starting teacher pay — and we're losing our best educators to neighboring states because of it.
We're losing good teachers to neighboring states
Teaching is one of the most noble occupations. Many teachers view it as an altruistic calling – to do selfless good, to influence future generations, make a social contribution or give back to their communities. There are intrinsic rewards as well – like personal joy and fulfillment, the love of a subject, working with children, witnessing a student’s aha moment. And teaching is a relatively stable job with a good work-life balance, transferrable skills and typically good insurance, pension and retirement benefits.
So it’s no surprise that Oklahoma’s public school teachers, as a whole, chose teaching because of those things, and are extremely hard working, dedicated and well-meaning individuals who genuinely care about their students.
Yet Oklahoma teachers are paid very poorly for that commitment as compared neighboring states. This leaves many teachers feeling that Oklahoma values teaching far less than our neighboring states. In fact, Oklahoma is losing quality teachers to Texas and Arkansas where they are paid more and they perceive the profession is more highly valued.
(NEA Benchmarks; 2023-24 school year / reported in 2025)
NEA State Salary Data Average Starting Teacher Salary
According to the National Education Association's 2023-24 benchmarks, Oklahoma's average starting teacher salary is just $41,152, ranking 45th in the nation. By comparison, Texas starts its teachers at $48,526 (18th nationally) and Arkansas at $50,031 (14th nationally) — meaning Oklahoma's newest teachers earn roughly $7,000 to $9,000 less than their peers right across the border.
Performance Pay Incentives Reward Teachers When Their Kids Learn More.
In addition to better starting salaries, neighboring states like Arkansas and Texas also have Performance pay bonus programs, based on the performance of their teacher’s students. Student performance-based pay incentives are logical and a win-win for both teachers and students.
The Oklahoma Legislature is considering two key policy changes to reward teachers for student growth and teacher excellence.
HB4268
The Teacher Effectiveness and Excellence Act
Focused on student growth and teacher excellence.
This bill appropriates $18-million from the Oklahoma Education Lottery Trust Fund for FY 2027:
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$15-million for the Growth-Based Teacher Compensation Program.
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$3-million for the National Board Certification Bonus Program.
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Requires the State Department of Education to adjust tiers or distributions if needed so spending does not exceed the appropriation.
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Uses a capped appropriation from the Oklahoma Education Lottery Trust Fund so districts are not financially responsible.
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Effective date July 1, 2026, with an emergency clause so the act is fully in force after passage and approval.
It’s A Growth-Based Teacher Compensation Pilot
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Targets about 1,500 of Oklahoma’s top-performing teachers (roughly 15%) in grades 4–8 English language arts and math in public and charter schools.
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Uses student academic growth, not just raw test scores, measured by the Oklahoma State Testing Program with a value‑added model over multiple years.
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Defines “recognized teachers” as those whose students meet or exceed an established growth threshold.
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Provides annual performance-based supplemental compensation paid by the State Department of Education, not by local districts.
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Organizes teachers into performance tiers (e.g., 95th+, 90–94th, 85–89th percentile) with awards adjusted as needed to stay within the appropriation (done by the SDE)
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Begins in the 2026–2027 school year and runs for at least three consecutive years.
Key points of this bill
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Focuses on student growth, which helps protect teachers working with higher‑need students.
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Does not change district salary schedules and does not trigger additional retirement costs.
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Gives the state a structured, time‑limited pilot to see if targeted performance pay moves the needle on student outcomes and retention.
HB4262
Changes to National Board Certification Bonuses
New Bonus Structure (Effective July 1, 2026)
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Teachers who qualify under updated criteria will receive a $5,000 annual bonus for five years for a total of $25,000.
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Applies to teachers who:
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Attain certification after July 1, 2026, OR
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Previously received bonuses or salary increments under older rules and still have remaining years in their certification period.
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Eliminates the additional salary increment for non-Board Certified Teachers from the minimum salary schedule for those receiving the bonus.
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Bonuses are funded by state lottery funds, not school districts.
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Bonuses do not count toward minimum salary calculations or retirement contributions.
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Supports efforts to retain and recruit highly skilled teachers.
It ensures strict accountability, evaluation and reporting
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Directs the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability to contract with an outside, independent evaluator.
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The evaluation must include:
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Implementation fidelity of the Growth-Based Teacher Compensation Program.
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Effects on student achievement and teacher workforce outcomes (recruitment and retention).
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Use of comparison groups and longitudinal data.
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Beginning January 1, 2028, the State Department of Education must report results to:
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The Governor.
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President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
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Speaker of the House.
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The report must include:
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Number of participating teachers and schools.
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Growth distribution results.
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Total compensation payments and bonus distributions.
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Key findings from the independent evaluation.
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