Representative Chad Caldwell

R

District 40

Hi, I'm Chad Caldwell and I represent the people of Oklahoma's 40th District.


representative

News & Announcements

Apr 30, 2025
Recent Posts

Bill to End Discrimination for Special Needs Students Passes House

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, commended House passage of a bill he said would end state-sponsored discrimination against Oklahoma families with special needs students. Senate Bill 105 would amend eligibility requirements for students who are part of the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program. "This legislation removes discriminatory barriers faced only by students with special needs or disabilities," Caldwell said. "Families of traditional students can access school choice funds from day one. Yet up until now, we have placed additional hurdles in front of children with special needs, making them wait to access services and accommodations that would better meet their specific needs." SB105 removes the requirement that a student attend a public school district the year prior to applying for the program. The bill also removes language stating that acceptance of a scholarship has the same effect as parental revocation of consent to services under certain provisions of IDEA, which is not allowed under the federal code. The measure also clarifies that students on an individualized education program (IEP), an individualized service plan (ISP) or who meet the eligibility standards for special education services in accordance with IDEA are eligible to participate in the scholarship.  Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, is the Senate author of the bill. “This legislation levels the playing field for families of children with disabilities or special needs,” Daniels said. “No parent should have to keep their child in a school that’s not working for them just to wait out an arbitrary, one-year requirement to qualify for financial aid. Senate Bill 105 ensures families can access the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship without unnecessary delays, giving them the flexibility to choose the most supportive educational setting from the start.” The Lindsey Nicole Henry scholarship program authorizes the parent or guardian of a public school student with a disability who is served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to exercise their parental option and request to have an LNH Scholarship awarded for their child to attend a participating private school approved by the State Board of Education. The program has been in place since 2011 and currently serves about 1,500 students.    Other eligible students include those: who have an Individualized Service Plan developed by the Department of Human Services (DHS); who are a child of a military family with permanent change of station orders who has moved to Oklahoma; who have been in out-of-home placement through the office of Juvenile Affairs; or who have been in out-of-home placement with DHS, or who were adopted while in the permanent custody of DHS. Scholarship funds are paid in increments directly to participating schools, not to parents, and only after students have attended the school. SB105 passed the House on Tuesday with a vote of 70-23. It was amended in the House, so it now moves back to the Senate for final consideration. 

Apr 2, 2025
Recent Posts

Bill to End Discrimination for Special Needs Students Passes First House Committee

OKLAHOMA CITY – The House Common Education committee today passed a bill that would end discrimination for Oklahoma students with special needs. Senate Bill 105 , authored in the House by Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, would amend eligibility requirements for students on an Individualized Education Program who are part of the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program. "Students with special needs or disabilities should receive services and accommodations that will advance their education from whatever school can best provide them," Caldwell said. "Neither these students nor their parents should have to jump through hoops to appease public school lobbying groups by attending a public school first in order to obtain instruction that best meets their specific needs."   The measure would remove the requirement that a student attend a public school district the year prior to applying for the program. It also would remove language stating that acceptance of a scholarship has the same effect as parental revocation of consent to services under certain provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Giving up consent to service is not allowed under the federal code and is therefore senseless language, according to the bill's Senate author, Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville.  The scholarship program authorizes the parent or guardian of a public-school student with a disability who is served under IDEA to exercise their parental option and request to have an LNH Scholarship awarded for their child to attend a participating private school approved by the State Board of Education. The program has been in place since 2011 and currently serves about 1,500 students.  Eligible students include those: who have an Individualized Service Plan developed by the Department of Human Services (DHS); who are a child of a military family with permanent change of station orders who has moved to Oklahoma after receiving IDEA services in another state; who have been served through the SoonerStart program and during transition has been determined to be eligible for school district services; who have been in out-of-home placement through the office of Juvenile Affairs; or who have been in out-of-home placement with DHS, or who were adopted while in the permanent custody of DHS. SB105 passed the Common Education Committee with a vote of 6-5 and now is eligible to be considered by the House Education Oversight Committee.

Mar 27, 2025
Recent Posts

Increase to Classroom Funding Bill Fails in House

OKLAHOMA CITY – The House today failed to pass a bill that would have required state public schools to spend at least 50% of their funding in the classroom.  House Bill 1280 , authored by Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, would have required any district spending less than 50% on instruction to increase that amount by 2% each year until the target percentage is met.  “Oklahomans want to see Oklahoma kids perform better academically," Caldwell said. "Superintendents and the education lobbyists hired to represent them say better outcomes will just take more money. This measure just asked those in charge of our schools to do the right thing and put the money where their mouth is and invest in prioritizing students and teachers. "If money really is the reason kids aren't performing better in school, then asking schools to devote at least half of their spending into the place where the bulk of learning actually happens – the classroom – shouldn’t be too big of an ask." Caldwell said instruction would have included teacher and teacher aid salaries, as well as other direct classroom items such as books and materials for learning. To accommodate the specific needs of rural schools, he even amended the bill to allow transportation to be counted in the 50% of instructional expenses for schools with less than 1,000 average daily membership. The remaining 50% of a school's budget could have been spent on other school staff, including counselors, nurses, front desk personnel, cafeteria workers, as well as on other areas. This would have allowed local control in the same way the minimum salary schedule and state academic standards do, he said. The Legislature sets the standard and leaves it up to the district to determine how best to achieve it. The definition of instructional expenditures in the bill came from the U.S. Department of Education. “That is important because it allowed for a true apples-to-apples comparison," Caldwell said. "So, when we discuss instructional expenditures in Oklahoma, we're using the same criteria as they do in every other state."  He said it's important to note the bill specified the percentage of funds schools put in the classroom, not the dollar amount. This would have allowed for different levels of investment from a total dollar perspective.  States that spend more on education, as well as states that spend less overall, still often exceed Oklahoma's percentage of classroom expenditures, Caldwell said. The national average for classroom spending is 62%, and 37 states spend a higher percentage in the classroom, on average, than Oklahoma schools do. Caldwell said many schools in the state already exceed the 50% on instructional expenses, but about 150 schools do not. He suggested parents and other stakeholders look at their districts' public records to see how their schools are spending their funds. He created a spreadsheet, linked here, for reference:  Instructional_Expenditures_2025_4d9ff515db.pdf . Caldwell said since 2011, the Legislature has invested more in education than at any time previously in state history.  During that time, administrative positions have grown by about 25%, while teachers and students have grown by only about 3% to 5%, according to the U.S. Department of Education.  This shows that administrators, and not teachers or students, seem to be reaping the benefits of the additional funding put toward education, he said. "This bill simply asked our schools to prioritize the classroom over other areas," Caldwell said. "It shifts the conversation from simply how much we spend on education to include questions about where and how we allocate those valuable resources. District leaders and education special interest groups continue to ask Oklahomans to invest more of our money in education. Isn’t it fair to ask our schools to do the same by spending at least half of their budget in the classroom?   If more money for the classroom isn’t the answer, then it’s fair to question why they continue to claim money is the primary issue holding our students back.” "This should have prompted our schools to change their spending habits for the benefit of their students. Our kids deserve it.”