State Board of Ed Passes Rules to Implement HB 3393, The Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships

At the monthly Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting yesterday the Board voted to approve Emergency Administrative Rules consistent with House Bill 3393 passed during the 2010 legislative session. The rules are disigned to answer questions and provide guidance to public and private schools as well as parents as the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships Program is implemented. This new law becomes effective today.

"I've worked closely with the State Department of Education and State Superintendent Sandy Garrett during the drafting of the rules by the agency," said Rep. Jason Nelson, author of HB 3393. "They have done a great job fielding questions about the program and addressing those question in the new rules."

Here are the new emergency rules which still must be approved by Governor Brad Henry. It is anticipated that he will approve the rules.

SUBCHAPTER 13. SPECIAL EDUCATION


210:15-13-7. Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship for Students with Disabilities Program
 (a) Scholarship Requests. When a parent of an eligible student requests a scholarship, they must notify the district of residence. The district of residence is defined as the legal district of residence, unless the child is a child with an IEP who has been on a transfer of any kind for three consecutive years, in which case the district is then defined as the receiving district, as required by 70 O.S. 13-103(d). If a child is on a transfer of any kind, that does not meet the three-year rule, and accepts the scholarship, the transfer is effectively terminated.
 (b) Payments. Payments will be made to the private school on a quarterly basis upon verification of continued enrollment and attendance at the private school. Payments will be made in arrears, following the completion of each quarter. The payments will be made after the private school provides the public school with a quarterly attendance record for each child receiving the scholarship.
 (c) Private School Eligibility. In order to be eligible to accept students on the scholarship, private schools must be accredited by the State Board of Education or another accrediting association approved by the State Board of Education. Only school districts within the state of Oklahoma can be accredited by the State Board of Education. No out of state schools are eligible to participate in the scholarship program.
 (d) Amount of Scholarship. Within ten business days of receipt by the public school district of the parental request the State Department of Education must receive from the public school a request form for a determination of the calculation of the maximum scholarship amount. The State Department of Education must provide the calculation of the maximum amount of the scholarship to the public school in writing within fifteen business days of the receipt of the request. The parent shall be notified of the maximum amount of the scholarship in writing in a timely manner, not to exceed thirty business days from the request. Scholarship amounts will be calculated at the time of the parental request and will not change during the course of the school year regardless of a school district’s mid-year adjustments. The amount of the scholarship will be calculated annually as required by 70 O.S. 13-101.1, Section 2(F)(1).
 (e) Tracking. School districts providing scholarships shall annually report for child-count and funding purposes, all students who are attending a private school under the scholarship program to the State Department of Education. Students must be reported as Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship Students on both the Special Education Child Count and the First Quarter Statistical Report (FQSR) and the Annual Statistical Report (ASR). These scholarship students will also be tracked through the WAVE.

Gov. Henry names Pettit new CIO

(Oklahoma City) Gov. Brad Henry announced today he has appointed Alex Pettit as the state’s new Chief Information Officer. Pettit, who has information systems experience in both the public and private sectors, will begin his duties on April 5.

A new law approved by the 2009 Legislature authorized the governor to appoint a chief information officer to oversee all state computer information and technology operations. Today’s announcement follows a national search for qualified candidates.

Gov. Henry releases review of ME Office

Oklahoma City — Gov. Brad Henry today released an independent review of the State Medical Examiner’s Office, saying the report’s recommendations will assist the agency as it attempts to regain national accreditation and get back on track.

Last month, the governor tasked Oklahoma Commissioner of Health Terry Cline to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the agency after a series of controversies culminated with the dismissal of the chief medical examiner after less than a year on the job.

Among other things, Cline has recommended additional resources and improved facilities for the ME’s office along with structural changes to strengthen the agency’s governing board and empower a full-time administrator to run the agency’s day-to-day business while the chief medical officer focuses on the office’s medical and clinical work.

House Speaker Responds to State of the State Address

OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 1, 2010) — “As the governor said today, the budget will dominate this legislative session, and we intend to work in a fiscally responsible way to craft a budget that protects vital government services through strategic cuts while finding savings and efficiencies where possible to balance our budget,” said House Speaker Chris Benge, R-Tulsa.

“The governor’s speech lacked many policy initiatives, and I believe that though the budget will heavily influence the decisions we make this year, it doesn’t have to suck the wind out of the whole session. There are many policy positions, like government modernization, education reform, energy security and workers’ compensation reform that will help grow Oklahoma’s economy and create jobs. This will be a difficult session, but we are up to the task and I am confident the steps we take this session will position our state to prosper in the future,” Benge concluded.

Gov. Henry declares emergency as winter storm approaches

Oklahoma City — With a dangerous winter storm headed for Oklahoma, Gov. Brad Henry tonight declared a State of Emergency for all 77 Oklahoma counties as state officials continued their emergency response preparations.