Thank you to those of you who attended the charter schools conference and completed our survey on it to inform improvements for our second annual conference.

The overwhelming majority of those who completed the survey gave positive feedback and preferred us having the 2026 conference either in late October/after FQSR or very early November. So, we are now soliciting bids to hold our conference either October 28-29, 2026, or November 3-4, 2026, in Oklahoma City. Both of those dates are Wednesday-Thursday, which the survey indicated also was the majority's preference. Our intent is to hold all future annual conferences the same time each fall and to release a call for presentation proposals six to eight months before the conference.

While there are several advantages to us holding our annual conference each fall, we do not want to lose momentum of being a more engaged community by not having another major event for potentially 18 months. That is why we will be holding other events during the 2025-2026 school year that will provide training opportunities for board members and administrators and lay the foundation for a cohesive 2026 legislative agenda for the charter school community. Such events include a monthly Lunch and Learn series to be held online on the fourth Wednesday of each month beginning this July and a fall legislative summit. We will be getting details to you for those events very soon.

Do not miss in this newsletter important information related to how you have access to free (that is right, free) Advanced Placement and honors courses through our Horizon program. Horizon also provides rock-bottom pricing for a vast menu of supplementary courses and other digital products. Schools are required by law to provide supplementary courses if families request them, and all high schools must offer at least four Advanced Placement courses. For those reasons alone, every brick-and-mortar charter school and traditional school district in Oklahoma should be a Horizon consortium member, which is free for a district to join. Learn how in the article below.

Also, in this newsletter is information about charter-specific legislation we are tracking. Lawmakers value hearing from school leaders, so let them know if this legislation would positively impact your school and students.

Until next time ...

Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson

Executive Director

It's free! State Horizon consortium

provides Oklahoma schools free AP, pre-AP

Video on Horizon's free Advanced Placement program

Why every school district and charter school in Oklahoma is not a member of the state's Horizon consortium is one of the state's greatest mysteries. Joining the consortium is completely free and, by joining, members are able to offer 29 Advanced Placement (AP) and honors courses to their students for free, and they have access to rock-bottom, group pricing on a vast array of supplementary courses ranging from accounting and cybersecurity to STEM and foreign languages. Significant discounts are also available for other digital products, including resources for exceptional students, tools to assist with math mastery, and products for literacy development.

Currently, 196 school districts and charter schools are consortium members and Horizon's director, Dr. Lisa Daniels, aims to serve at least 300 members in the 2025-2026 school year. The consortium is open to any public school district or brick-and-mortar charter school and recruitment is ongoing until June 30. While virtual charters cannot access the consortium's supplementary courses, they can access the AP courses.

"Our goal is to attain 300 members for the next school year but, frankly, we do not understand why every district isn't a member," Dr. Daniels said. "Joining is free, there is no obligation to purchase additional products or services, and Advanced Placement courses are always free to the district."

Horizon's AP teachers are Oklahoma certified and serve consortium members in various ways, she added. Some schools utilize the Horizon teacher as the only teacher of record for an AP student, while others utilize the Horizon teacher to bolster learning and strengthen the capacity of local classroom teachers.

By law, schools must offer supplementary courses for students who request them, and all high schools must offer at least four AP courses. Considering the teacher shortage and the financial challenges of a small charter school or rural district to offer advanced courses, foreign languages and a robust selection of electives for students to be able to cater to their interests and career goals, Horizon is the best, if not only path to do so at a low cost with high-quality instruction.

"Our Horizon AP students score above the state and national averages, and we consistently receive positive feedback on our supplementary courses," Dr. Daniels said. "We served nearly 30,000 students across the consortium network this year and we hope that number grows significantly in the 2025-2026 school year."

To learn more about the Horizon consortium or to join, email info@horizon.ok.gov today.

Charter legislation we are tracking

Midway through this legislative session, there is a handful of bills specific to charter schools that we are monitoring. Given what is currently before lawmakers, this will not be a year for much legislation regarding charter schools to be approved. We encourage school leaders to reach out to their lawmakers to share their thoughts on the following bills if they would be impactful for their school. Lawmakers appreciate hearing from their constituents.

House Bill 2153: Authored by State Rep. Rod Hall, who is a freshman state representative from the Tulsa area and a proud charter school parent, this legislation would allow a charter school to give enrollment preference to eligible students with a sibling currently enrolled at the same charter school. The bill also allows sibling enrollment preferences to supersede all other enrollment preferences in law if a charter school wants that for its enrollment policy.

House Bill 2154: Authored also by state Rep. Hall, this bill removes the statutory requirement for charter schools to file an Estimate of Needs with the county because charter schools do not receive ad valorem revenue. Considering many schools use the Estimate of Needs as their budget, the bill also stipulates charter school boards must approve a school budget prior to the beginning of each fiscal year. If signed into law, this would take effect July 1, 2025.

Senate Bill 705: This measure was authored by Sen. Adam Pugh and co-authored in the House by Rep. Chad Caldwell. Despite being approved by the Senate Education Committee with a 11-0 vote, it is considered dormant because it was not heard by the House Education Committee before a deadline for it to be heard. It is possible its elements could be resurrected if added to other active legislation or it could remain dormant for this session but be heard in the 2026 legislative session without being re-introduced. The legislation is particularly impactful for a charter school undergoing expansion because it would direct the weighted average daily membership of a new charter school site or grade level to be determined by multiplying actual enrollment as of August 1 by 1.333. so that initial State Aid funding would be paid to the school. The bill also renames the Charter Schools Incentive Fund the Charter Schools Incentive and Closure Reimbursement Fund and directs the Statewide Charter School Board to transfer all funds remaining in the Charter School Closure Reimbursement Revolving Fund to the renamed fund.

House Bill 1940: Authored by Rep. Danny Sterling, this measure would allow the Office of Juvenile Affairs to apply to create a charter school for the purpose of educating youth who are in the custody of a county.

Find Your Lawmaker

April 30: Oral arguments in the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Schools vs. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond to be heard before the U.S. Supreme Court at 10 a.m. EST. Live audio via SCOTUS.
May 12: Statewide Charter School Board Meeting at 1 p.m. at the Oklahoma History Center.
June 9: Statewide Charter School Board Meeting at 1 p.m. at the Oklahoma History Center.