SB 242 Summary

• Creates the Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) Program to provide tuition and mandatory fee assistance to honorably discharged veterans enrolling in approved teacher preparation programs at Oklahoma higher education institutions.

• Eligible veterans must agree to teach in an Oklahoma school district for three consecutive years and maintain good academic standing; assistance covers tuition and mandatory fees for bachelor's degree completion within five years of first enrollment.

• Establishes a $2,000,000 annual funding cap for the 2025-2026 academic year and each year thereafter, distributed on a first-come, first-served basis from the VET Revolving Fund.

• Recipients must exhaust all available federal education benefits first and cannot also receive assistance from the Inspired to Teach Program; those who fail to meet teaching agreement obligations must repay assistance calculated as a monthly proportional amount for months of non-compliance.

• Creates the VET Revolving Fund in the State Treasury to receive legislative appropriations and repayments; Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall promulgate implementing rules; effective July 1, 2025.