OKLAHOMA CITY – Reps. Mark McBride, R-Moore, and Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon, today commented on reports of teachers being asked to repay a $50,000 new teacher signing bonus to the State Department of Education.

It's been reported that nine teachers have been asked to repay the portion of bonus money they received after the department said they discovered the teachers were not eligible to receive the award.

"As a businessman, if I make a mistake, I have to own that," McBride said. "I can't go back to my customer and say you have to repay me because I made a mistake in our contract. The same should happen with the State Department of Education. If they made a mistake in approving an application, they shouldn't demand the teacher pay for it."

McBride, who serves as the chair of the House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee for Education, said he's talked to State Supt. of Public Instruction Ryan Walters and others at the Oklahoma State Department of Education about the implementation of the bonus program. He said he expressed his concerns about how the bonus would be paid up front and how he would like to see better parameters and controls put in place before the money was distributed. 

He said he would have rather seen the program set up similar to his Inspired to Teach bonus, which is paid out after prospective teachers complete educational requirements and as they perform their service in state public schools.

Baker, who serves as the chair of the House Common Education Committee, also spoke on the matter.

"As a former teacher, I cannot imagine the anxiety something like this would induce – to be deemed eligible and to receive a large bonus in my bank account, only to be told months later I must return it. It was up to the State Department of Education to provide proper oversight in the vetting and approval of the bonus recipients. With this much money at stake, the SDE must reconsider the internal process to find an acceptable solution to make this an attractive teacher recruitment tool. I implore the department to find a better solution for the teachers that received the bonus in error."

McBride also questioned why the same standard wasn't applied for the department's reported misuse of federal Governor’s Emergency Educational Relief (GEER) funds. In 2020, the funding was given to help low-income families purchase education materials while school buildings were closed due to high COVID-19 cases.

A U.S. Department of Education audit accused the state of failing to follow federal regulations, and noted that Supt. Walters approved the purchases. The state's attorney general also has said he feels state actors were to blame for the misspending.

"We haven't asked the department to repay those funds," McBride said.

Both McBride and Baker said they will pursue legislative solutions on the bonus program in the upcoming session of the Legislature, which convenes Feb. 5.

-END-

Mark McBride serves District 53 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes part of Cleveland County. Baker serves House District 60, which includes part of Canadian County