OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, released his public education agenda Wednesday, which he believes will improve public education outcomes for Oklahoma children.

In his agenda, Pugh, who is the Senate education committee chairman, outlined four pillars under which he plans to file bills to improve public education in Oklahoma. The four incentive areas are: Recruiting more qualified teachers to Oklahoma classrooms; Retaining teachers already in the classroom; Rewarding high performing teachers; and Reforming the way public dollars are spent on public education.

“For far too long, Oklahoma has lagged behind the rest of the nation in education outcomes, which is doing a disservice to our children and state overall,” Pugh said. “I was tasked by Pro Tem Greg Treat this interim to come up with a plan that meets our children’s needs today, empowers parents, while ensuring we are rewarding teachers and getting better outcomes for the future of our state. This plan is aggressive, and if implemented will get us on the right path to a better, more prosperous future.”

Pugh met with over 200 superintendents, hundreds of teachers and parents and dozens of education advocacy groups over the interim to gather ideas while deciding what bills to file.

“To be clear, this is my plan, supported by bills that I am planning to file,” said Pugh “They are a direct result of input I received over the summer after conversations with superintendents, educators, parents, and education advocacy groups. As Oklahomans, and especially as lawmakers, we need to do whatever it takes to ensure our children are getting the best education possible.”

Joining Pugh at Wednesday’s announcement was Jeff James, a veteran of the United States Air Force who is the president of the Air and Space Forces Association of Central Oklahoma and the State STEM Program Coordinator for the Air Force Association.

“Sen. Pugh has outlined an agenda that aims to better prepare Oklahoma students for the future workforce they will face after high school and beyond,” James said. “This plan has the potential to completely alter the future for children in public education. I applaud my friend for his vision and efforts in putting this together.”

Another supporter of Pugh’s work is Edmond Public Schools Superintendent Angela Grunwald, who said she hopes the plan is implemented to help public education across the state.

“I applaud Sen. Pugh’s plan and his efforts to go above and beyond in supporting teachers and children in public education. His legislative goals address the most pressing issues facing our profession by directing funds to incentivize more individuals to go into this amazing profession and rewarding those who stay,” Grunewald said. “We need bold actions to bring back the respect that our educators and support staff deserve. These pieces of legislation have the potential to do that. We cannot forget that these powerful legislative goals are in the best interest of the students across our state.”