1. A. The Commission for Rehabilitation Services shall establish and maintain such methods of administration, including methods relating to the establishment and maintenance of personnel standards, as are necessary for the proper and efficient administration of the Oklahoma School for the Blind and the Oklahoma School for the Deaf, and programs thereat; shall maintain records and reports, shall provide a uniform accounting system; and shall incur such expenses and make such expenditures as it deems necessary to maintain and operate such institutions.
2. B. The Director of the State Department of Rehabilitation Services shall, subject to the approval of the Commission, employ or contract with qualified instructional personnel including, but not limited to, teachers, principals, directors of student assessment and program development, vocational teachers, career vocational coordinators, head school librarians, school psychologists, mental health counselors, school counselors, school psychometrists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, orientation and mobility specialists (OSB), speech services supervisors and speech language pathologists, and appoint or employ the superintendent and such other personnel, as the director deems necessary for the proper operation of each institution, and shall fix their duties and compensation. The superintendent, teachers and other employees shall be eligible for membership or participation in the Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma to the same extent and on the same basis as teachers and other employees of other state educational institutions and public schools.
3. C. The Commission shall promulgate personnel rules and establish policies similar to those applicable to public school district employees for those employees listed in subsection B of this section, including but not limited to leave and employment policies and a salary schedule. Contingent upon the availability of funds, the minimum salary level for qualified instructional personnel listed in subsection B of this section shall meet or exceed the minimum salary level provided for public school teachers in Section 18-114.7 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes. The Department shall be authorized to notify teachers and other personnel on or before April 10 of each year concerning the renewal of contracts.
4. D. The State Department of Education shall insure that any funds which have been received in Oklahoma by the State Department of Education because of students who are enrolled and attending the Oklahoma School for the Blind and the Oklahoma School for the Deaf are transferred to the Department of Rehabilitation Services for use by these schools in proportion to the number of students enrolled and attending who were the basis for the receipt of these federal funds.
5. E. Those personnel listed in subsection B of this section who have entered into contracts with the schools on or before July 1, 1995, shall be entitled to longevity pay as provided in Section 840-2.18 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

Laws 1965, SB 474, c. 193, § 3, emerg. eff. July 1, 1965; Renumbered from 56 O.S. § 322 by Laws 1982, HB 1468, c. 312, § 48, emerg. eff. May 28, 1982; Amended by Laws 1993, SB 356, c. 364, § 8, emerg. eff. June 11, 1993; Amended by Laws 1995, HB 1944, c. 269, § 1, emerg. eff. July 1, 1995; Amended by Laws 2001, HB 1171, c. 166, § 1, emerg. eff. July 1, 2001 (superseded document available).