1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 59th Legislature (2024)
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3 HOUSE BILL 3966 By: Echols
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to higher education; establishing the
7 School of American Civic Thought and Leadership at
8 the University of Oklahoma; providing purpose;
8 providing authorized actions; permitting School to be
9 housed on the University of Oklahoma's Norman Campus;
9 directing that School shall operate as an academic
10 unit; creating advisory board; providing membership
10 of board; directing for initial members to be
11 appointed by certain date; providing for expiration
11 of terms; directing for certain appointees to have
12 certain background; providing procedure for
12 expiration of terms; clarifying that members serve at
13 pleasure of appointing authority; directing the
13 president appoint a vice president of civic thought
14 and leadership; directing for board to find director;
14 permitting the use of certain funds; directing for
15 certain annual report; providing for severability;
15 providing for codification; and providing an
16 effective date.
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20 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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21 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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22 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3320 of Title 70, unless there
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23 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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 1 A. There is hereby established the School of American Civic
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2 Thought and Leadership (School) at the University of Oklahoma.
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3 1. It is the purpose of the School to:
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4 a. educate students in the principles, ideals, and
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5 institutions of the American political order,
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6 including the character traits and durable habits
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7 necessary to sustain that order,
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8 b. educate students in the philosophical foundations of
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9 responsible leadership and informed citizenship,
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10 c. promote and provide programming related to civic
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11 education, engagement, and discourse,
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12 d. enhance education in the fields of political thought
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13 and science, American history and government, free
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14 market economics, and other related fields as
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15 appropriate, with a focus on the foundations of
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16 Western and American civilization, including its great
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17 books, the rights and responsibilities of American
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18 citizenship, fundamental democratic principles and
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19 mores, and the ways in which those principles and
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20 mores are expressed in and through mediating
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21 institutions at the federal, state, and local levels,
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22 e. provide viewpoint and ideologically diverse resources
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23 to students, faculty, state government agencies and
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 1 actors, educators, and the general public regarding
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2 civic affairs, and
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3 f. assist in ensuring that the University of Oklahoma
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4 serves as a robust marketplace of ideas for all
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5 students and faculty.
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6 2. In order to carry out the purposes set forth in paragraph 1
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7 of subsection A of this section, the School is authorized to:
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8 a. enroll students,
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9 b. hire tenure-track and nontenured faculty and
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10 supporting staff,
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11 c. develop and offer in-person courses and online
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12 instruction in new graduate and undergraduate major
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13 and minor programs,
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14 d. develop an undergraduate American institutions and
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15 civic knowledge course in anticipation of a future
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16 mandate requiring all University of Oklahoma students
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17 to complete such a course to graduate,
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18 e. offer general education and honors courses, including
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19 courses in the University of Oklahoma's Gateway to
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20 College Learning program,
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21 f. offer concurrent enrollment,
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22 g. provide and facilitate internships and other relevant
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23 experiences for students and the general public,
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24 h. hold events, and
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 1 i. take other actions as appropriate, subject to the
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2 supervision of the School's director, to be selected
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3 as provided in this section, and the general
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4 supervision of the president of the University of
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5 Oklahoma (president).
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6 3. Upon its establishment, the School may be physically housed
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7 on the University of Oklahoma's Norman Campus.
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8 4. The School shall operate as an academic unit within the
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9 University of Oklahoma.
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10 B. The School and its director, who shall be appointed as
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11 provided below, shall be advised by an advisory board (board) on
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12 matters related to the School, including, but not limited to,
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13 staffing, curriculum, policy, and programming, in accordance with
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14 the policies and procedures of the University of Oklahoma.
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15 1. The board shall be composed of ten (10) members, appointed
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16 as follows:
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17 a. the Governor shall appoint one member,
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18 b. the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
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19 shall appoint one member,
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20 c. the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma State Senate
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21 shall appoint one member, and
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22 d. the remaining members shall be the University of
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23 Oklahoma Board of Regents.
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 1 2. Members of the initial board must be appointed by December
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2 31, 2024.
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3 3. All terms of the members appointed pursuant to subparagraphs
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4 a, b, and c of paragraph 1 of this subsection shall expire May 31 of
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5 the sixth year after appointment.
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6 4. The members appointed pursuant to subparagraphs a, b, and c
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7 of paragraph 1 of this subsection shall be, or have been, academic
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8 or administrative personnel at an American institution of higher
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9 education, such that, unless there is a temporary vacancy, the board
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10 should have no less than three appointees who are, or have been,
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11 academic or administrative personnel at an American institution of
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12 higher education.
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13 5. After the initial appointments expire, subsequent
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14 appointments shall be six (6) years. Board members may continue to
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15 serve on the board after their term expires, but only until a new
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16 member is appointed to replace the sitting board member. Board
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17 members may be reappointed. All appointments, including to fill
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18 vacancies for unexpired terms, shall be filled in the same manner as
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19 the original appointment such that the appropriate appointing
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20 authority — the Governor, the Speaker, or the Pro Tempore — shall
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21 retain control over their respective board member's seat.
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22 6. Board members shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing
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23 authority.
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 1 7. The president shall appoint a vice president of civic
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2 thought and leadership (vice president) by December 31, 2024. The
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3 vice president shall serve at the pleasure of the president. The
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4 vice president shall also chair the board, convene its first
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5 meeting, receive appointment notifications, and serve as an ex
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6 officio board member. If the vice president resigns, the president
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7 shall name a replacement. During the period beginning when the
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8 position of vice president becomes vacant and when a new vice
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9 president is named, the board may elect from among its members
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10 someone to serve as interim chair, who shall be relieved of duty
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11 upon the president's naming a new vice president.
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12 C. By March 31, 2025, the board, or a committee of the board
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13 selected by the board, shall conduct a national search and transmit
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14 to the president a list of finalists for the position of director.
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15 The president shall provide all necessary administrative support for
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16 the search. The president shall appoint the director from the list
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17 of finalists provided by the board. If the position of director
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18 becomes vacant, then the same process must be followed to appoint a
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19 new director. During the period beginning when the position of
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20 director becomes vacant and when a new director is appointed, the
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21 president may designate a member of the School's faculty to serve as
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22 acting director until the director position is filled. The
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23 president may remove the director in accordance with the policies
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24 and procedures of the University of Oklahoma.
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 1 1. The director shall report to the vice president.
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2 2. Except for their own appointment, the director shall make
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3 all faculty and staff hiring decisions. The director shall operate
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4 the School in accordance with the policies and procedures of the
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5 University of Oklahoma.
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6 3. Faculty of the School may be awarded tenure subject to the
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7 tenure policies of the University of Oklahoma as adopted by the
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8 University's board of regents, and shall not be required to gain
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9 joint appointment in another division of the University of Oklahoma.
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10 If a faculty member is awarded tenure and the School later
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11 dissolves, the faculty member shall be relocated within another
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12 academic unit of the University of Oklahoma.
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13 4. By March 1, 2026, and by each March 1 thereafter, the
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14 director shall develop and provide an annual strategic plan for the
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15 School to the president, the vice president, and the board.
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16 D. The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents may use funds
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17 allocated to it by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
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18 and charitable donations to fund the School of American Civic
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19 Thought and Leadership. Funds allocated to the School shall not
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20 supplant any existing state funding or charitable donations to the
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21 University of Oklahoma. All allocated funds and charitable
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22 donations to the School may only be used for the direct operation of
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23 the School.
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 1 E. By September 1, 2026, and by each September 1 thereafter,
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2 the president shall, in consultation with the director of the
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3 School, its board, and the vice president, submit an annual report
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4 to the Governor, the Speaker, the Pro Tempore, and the chairs of the
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5 legislative appropriations, budget, and finance committees with
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6 jurisdiction over budget allocations. The initial annual report
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7 shall include all relevant data from the founding of the institute
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8 through September 1, 2026. The report must include:
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9 1. The total amount of funding received by the School in the
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10 previous year;
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11 2. A description of current faculty positions and the names and
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12 qualifications of the faculty members currently holding such
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13 positions;
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14 3. The names and titles of the members of the board;
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15 4. The total graduate and undergraduate enrollment of the
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16 School, and concurrent enrollment, if any;
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17 5. A description of the courses and degrees offered by the
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18 School;
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19 6. A description of significant community events, initiatives,
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20 and publications provided by the School during the previous year;
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21 7. A description of programs at the University of Oklahoma
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22 supported by the School; and
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23 8. A copy of the School's most recently issued strategic plan.
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 1 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2024.
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3 59-2-9500 MJ 01/18/24
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