By Rep. Randy Randleman
Over the next several weeks, I want to dive into the bills I filed for the 2023 legislative session.
Starting with House Bill 1040, which would separate the state playoffs for unrestricted, or public, school and restricted, or private, schools.
The complaint I’ve heard from my constituents is that since private schools have the option of leaving class slots open, they can use those slots to recruit athletes. Public schools must take every student in their district, which eliminates their ability to recruit athletes.
In the last 15-20 years, private schools compete in the quarter finals, semi-finals and finals of state tournaments on a much more regular basis that public schools.
During the interim, I met with leaders from 23 private schools and 168 public schools to address this issue with OSSAA.
Working with David Jackson, CEO of OSSAA, we created a group of 13 private school superintendents and 13 public school superintendents to find a solution together. Several superintendents from restricted schools agreed it was concerning how many teams from restricted versus unrestricted schools make it further in playoffs, which hurts the chances of excellent players in public schools from receiving college athletic scholarships. We worked well together for several meetings before the restricted schools and Jackson stopped participating.
When the 2023 session began, there was little communication between the two groups, so I refiled House Bill 1040. OSSAA later sent out a survey to public schools asking about separating public and private schools in playoffs, to which 85% of respondents said they should be separated. Additionally, over 200 schools in 2A, 3A and 4A classes have agreed to withdraw from OSSAA if a solution can’t be reached.
The bill was not heard in the House Common Education Committee this year but is still alive for next year, and I will continue to work on this issue. It is my true feeling that fairness should be established in all sports between restricted and unrestricted schools.
The second bill I want to highlight is House Bill 1042, which was assigned to the House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee on Education. This was requested by some of my constituents in Haskell County.
School teachers and support personnel receive flex benefits, insurance coverage and retirement. However, the bus drivers do not. I filed HB1042 to allow bus drivers who work at least 20 hours per week to access these same benefits, which would help us recruit bus drivers through the whole state.
However, the bill didn’t receive a hearing in the House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee on Education this year, and I will work on this bill again next year.
In the last two legislative sessions, I have passed eight bills that have made it all the way to law dealing with mental health, schools, and specific needs. It is such a privilege to serve Haskell, McIntosh, LeFlore and Muskogee Counties.
It’s incredibly difficult to pass bills into law. Of the thousands filed every year, only about 400 are signed into the law by the governor every year.
I will again continue to write articles so you can keep up with the progress we have made in this office. When you have a concern or issue, please call my Capitol office at (405) 557-7375. I will return calls as quickly as a I can regarding issues within our counties.
Rep. Randy Randleman, a Republican, represents House District 15 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes McIntosh and Haskell counties and portions of Muskogee, Le Flore and Pittsburg counties.
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