Constitution of Oklahoma — Article XIII: Education

Publisher edition notice: This collection preserves the Legislature's complete linked RTF, whose internal creation date is January 4, 2022. The catalog's later update date does not establish the edition of this file; later amendments have not been independently verified.

Article XIII

ARTICLE XIII - Education

SECTION XIII-1. Establishment and maintenance of public schools. The Legislature shall establish and maintain a system of free public schools wherein all the children of the State may be educated.

SECTION XIII-1a. Appropriation and allocation of funds for support of common schools. The Legislature shall, by appropriate legislation, raise and appropriate funds for the annual support of the common schools of the State to the extent of forty-two ($42.00) dollars per capita based on total state-wide enrollment for the preceding school year. Such moneys shall be allocated to the various school districts in the manner and by a distributing agency to be designated by the Legislature; provided that nothing herein shall be construed as limiting any particular school district to the per capita amount specified herein, but the amount of state funds to which any school district may be entitled shall be determined by the distributing agency upon terms and conditions specified by the Legislature, and provided further that such funds shall be in addition to apportionments from the permanent school fund created by Article XI, Section 2, hereof. Added by State Question No. 315, Initiative Petition No. 225, adopted at general election held on Nov. 5, 1946.

SECTION XIII-2. Institutions for deaf and mute or blind. The Legislature shall provide for the establishment and support of institutions for the care and education of persons within the state who are deaf, deaf and mute or blind. Amended by State Question No. 521, Legislative Referendum No. 216, adopted at election held on Nov. 2, 1976. Amendment proposed by Laws 1976, p. 587, S.J.R. No. 41.

SECTION XIII-3. Repealed by State Question No. 428, Referendum Petition No. 149, adopted at election held May 3, 1966. Repeal proposed by Laws 1965, p. 1174, S.J.R. No. 10.

SECTION XIII-4. Compulsory school attendance. The Legislature shall provide for the compulsory attendance at some public or other school, unless other means of education are provided, of all the children in the State who are sound in mind and body, between the ages of eight and sixteen years, for at least three months in each year.

SECTION XIII-5. Board of Education. The supervision of instruction in the public schools shall be vested in a Board of Education, whose powers and duties shall be prescribed by law. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall be President of the Board. Until otherwise provided by law, the Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General shall be ex-officio members, and with the Superintendent, compose said Board of Education.

SECTION XIII-6. Textbook system for common schools - Official multiple textbook lists. The Legislature shall provide for a system of textbooks for the common schools of the State, and the State through appropriate legislation shall furnish such textbooks free of cost for use by all pupils therein. The Legislature shall authorize the Governor to appoint a committee composed of active educators of the State, whose duty it shall be to prepare official multiple textbook lists from which textbooks for use in such schools shall be selected by committees composed of active educators in the local school districts in a manner to be designated by the Legislature. Amended by State Question No. 318, Initiative Petition No. 228, adopted at general election held on Nov. 5, 1946.

SECTION XIII-7. Instruction in agriculture, horticulture, stock feeding and domestic science. The Legislature shall provide for the teaching of the elements of agriculture, horticulture, stock feeding, and domestic science in the common schools of the State.

SECTION XIII-8. Board of Regents of University of Oklahoma. The government of the University of Oklahoma shall be vested in a Board of Regents consisting of seven members to be appointed by the Governor by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The term of said members shall be for seven years, except and provided that the appointed members of the Board of Regents in office at the time of the adoption of this amendment as now provided by law shall continue in office during the term for which they were appointed, and thereafter as provided herein. Appointments for filling vacancies occurring on said Board shall be made by the Governor with advice and consent of the Senate and said appointments to fill vacancies shall be for the residue of the term only. Members of the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma shall be subject to removal from office only as provided by law for the removal of elective officers not liable to impeachment. Added by State Question No. 311, Referendum Petition No. 88, adopted at election held on July 11, 1944.