Bill restoring 5-day school week clears Senate Education Committee

OKLAHOMA CITY The Senate Education Committee approved a bill to restore five-day school weeks in Oklahoma schools, advancing one of the four agenda items of Senate Republicans.

Senate Bill 441 by Senator Marty Quinn, R-Claremore, says all public schools shall be in session for no less than 180 days. Currently, schools are to be in session for 1,080 hours. The bill provides exemptions to the five-day school week if local schools can demonstrate four-day weeks arent adversely impacting student achievement and four-day weeks actually save the local district money.

Five-day school weeks are best for students and families. Four-day weeks have hurt Oklahomas reputation nationally and impaired the states ability to recruit new employers and jobs. Restoring five-day school weeks puts the focus on the student, where it belongs, and will go a long way in repairing our reputation nationally as we work to recruit new jobs and grow Oklahomas economy, said Treat, R-Oklahoma City.

Senate Republicans are committed to keeping our word on the historic teacher pay raises and doing whats best for students and that means restoring five-day school weeks. We also believe in the importance of local control, which is why weve included reasonable exemptions to the five-day week. I appreciate my Senate colleagues for advancing the bill today and look forward to moving it forward through the process, Quinn said.

Treat said he applauded the members of the Senate Education Committee who joined him in voting in favor of students by supporting SB 441. Supporters were:

• Majority Floor Leader Kim David, R-Porter
• Senator Jason Smalley, R-Stroud
• Senator Joe Newhouse, R-Tulsa
• Senator Tom Dugger, R-Stillwater
• Senator Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee
• Senator Marty Quinn, R-Claremore
• Senator Paul Scott, R-Duncan
• Senator Wayne Shaw, R-Grove
• Senator Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City