EXPERIENCED TEACHER
TEACHING & PUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCACY
Mary's early career success in public education:
Early in her career, Mary worked for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education as a Carl Albert Executive Fellow, followed by the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Governors Walters and Governor Henry invited Mary to review the legislation at the end of legislative sessions to make recommendations after reviewing the law and community comments.
In 1998 Mary taught Intro to Legal Studies at the University of Oklahoma. She also taught several pre-law courses at Rose State College, Oklahoma Christian, and the University of Central Oklahoma. Currently, Mary is finishing her Masters of Education at the University of Oklahoma, emphasizing using education data by non-educators to better serve at-risk students in foster care and mentoring programs.
Mary expanded her professional experience as a child advocacy attorney by becoming a certified school counselor for 4 1/2 years in Little Axe and Norman. During this time, Mary taught social-emotional skills to more than 550 students, distributed Food For Kids weekend food packs to kids every weekend, facilitated medical and mental health referrals, served on IEP teams, started a Homework Help Club at the mobile home community for parents and their students. Mary also worked to improve the terms of the teacher's contract in Norman Public Schools as an elected member of the bargaining team.
Since 1992, Mary's advocacy efforts included serving on the Young Lawyers' Children and the Law Committee, Voices for Children, and becoming a Kids Count Leader through the Oklahoma Institution for Child Advocacy, and worked and volunteered with the state-wide initiative for early childhood education in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma City Urban League and NAACP welcomed Mary as a volunteer to join their tireless work to bring equity in education. Mary has also served as a regular volunteer for Oklahoma Lawyers for Children.
Since being elected to the Oklahoma State Senate in 2018, Senator Mary Boren has established herself as one of the legislature’s most vocal defenders of public education and civil liberties. Representing District 16, her work has focused on reversing the "starvation" of public school resources and protecting students from discriminatory policies.
Mary's key legislative work and advocacy since 2018 include:
1. Classroom Resources & Textbook Funding Immediately upon taking office, Senator Boren identified a critical gap in classroom funding. In 2019, she filed Senate Bill 206 to address the fact that state textbook funding had been stagnant at $55 per student since 2001. She fought to increase the per-pupil allocation for textbooks and digital instructional materials from $55 to $200. Mary also sought to expand local textbook committees to ensure teachers from every grade level, not just administrators, have a seat at the table when selecting curriculum. In addition to filing legislation Mary sponsored an interim study for legislators to understand how funding increases the quality of instructional materials.
2. Protections for Pregnant & Parenting Students
Senator Boren has been a lead advocate for ensuring that pregnancy does not end a student's educational career.
SB 138 & SB 408: She introduced legislation to protect expecting mothers in Oklahoma’s colleges and universities from discrimination. Her proposals include requiring schools to offer reasonable accommodations, such as makeup assignments and leaves of absence (up to 12 months) without the loss of scholarships, financial aid, or student housing. In 2021, she hosted an interim study to investigate stories of women losing scholarships or being forced out of degree programs due to pregnancy, aiming to close loopholes in Title IX protections at both public and private institutions.
3. Standing Up for Teachers
As a former school counselor and teacher, Mary has been a frequent critic of former State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ policies. Mary consistently pushed back against rhetoric that labels teachers as "indoctrinators" or "terrorists." When Walters attempted to mandate a video of himself praying be shown in classrooms, Boren supported the parents and teachers who viewed the move as an unconstitutional overreach. Mary also joined bi-partisan efforts to reject the social studies standards proposed by Walters
4. Protecting the Separation of Church and State
Senator Boren has been a "steadfast advocate" for maintaining the constitutional boundary between religious institutions and public tax dollars. Mary opposed Religious Charter Schools and a Bible Mandate, citing Article II, Section 5 of the Oklahoma Constitution, which prohibits the use of public money for the benefit of any religious sect.
5. Keeping Public Dollars in Public Schools
Senator Boren has consistently voted against the expansion of private school vouchers and tax credits that divert funds from the general education budget. In recent budget cycles, she has scrutinized plans to redirect funds from the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) to cover other education costs, insisting that the long-term security of teacher pensions must be protected.
HEALTHCARE ADVOCACY
Mary's early career success in healthcare advocacy:
Mary's experience with health care policy began when Mary reviewed legislation for Governor Walters (1993 & 1994) and Governor Henry (2003), which included some health care legislation. As a child advocacy attorney Mary also assisted numerous clients in navigating the financial obstacles to secure affordable health care. In 2008 Mary worked with the Oklahoma Family Network to help parents of children with significant medical needs.
As a school counselor, Mary served children with serious medical needs and worked with parents, educators, and medical providers to write medical plans and Individual Education Plans.
Mary also advocated for parents and assisted them in obtaining and referring students for mental health care and medical services. Mary was appointed to serve on the state board for Schools for Healthy Lifestyles and worked for the Center for Children and Families to connect storm survivors with health care and mental health care.
Mary's key legislative work and advocacy since 2018 include:
Since her election in 2018, Senator Mary Boren has leveraged her background as a school counselor and child advocacy attorney to champion accessible healthcare for Oklahomans.
A staunch defender of public health infrastructure, she has focused on the intersection of education and wellness, advocating for mental health resources and medical plans within schools to support at-risk students.
She filed legislation to protect school counselors' time by preventing them from being used as administrative test coordinators, ensuring they can focus on student mental health and career readiness.
Mary has consistently fought for reproductive health care to reduce OBGYN deserts in Oklahoma, expansion of family leave for new mothers and fathers, and protections for pregnant students. Additionally, she remains a vocal member of the appropriations subcommittee that approves the budget to recruit and train medical care providers in Oklahoma.
JOBS & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVOCACY
Mary's early career success in jobs & economic development and advocacy:
Mary's first paid job was chopping weeds out of cotton fields in Tillman County, Oklahoma. In high school, she worked as a waitress at The Tiger Den (hamburger shop), a custodian for the bank, the Cotton Patch (florist), and a sacker at Sam's Food Store. In college, she worked for the Vice-President for Student Affairs and an assortment of other part-time jobs, including a birthday clown at McDonald's.
During law school, Mary earned the highest grade in Employment and Labor Law. After graduation from law school, she managed her family's two small businesses. As an attorney Mary continuously connected parents in need of job-related training to college or career programs. While serving as a school counselor, several parents needed GED and other job training skills, and Mary used her connections and network to connect parents to those resources.
While working for the State Regents for Higher Education, Mary worked with an interagency collaborative to facilitate compliance with the newly enacted Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family Medical Leave Act. Her research and training materials were presented to university leaders to ensure the fair treatment of workers with disabilities and families needing time to care for a family member.
The Norman Public Schools' teachers also elected Mary to represented teachers on the bargaining team for 2013-2016. The team successfully increase salary, maternity/ paternity leave, and better boundaries for extra duty expectations.
Mary's key legislative work and advocacy since 2018 include:
Since her election in 2018, Senator Mary Boren has been a dedicated advocate for Oklahoma’s workforce, focusing on fair compensation and economic stability. Drawing from her experience on the Norman Public Schools bargaining team, she has championed initiatives to improve labor conditions and protect workers' rights.
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Worker Compensation: Boren co-authored Senate Bill 290, which successfully doubled the pay for precinct officials to address poll worker shortages and ensure fair pay for essential civic labor.
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Unemployment Relief: During the pandemic, she tirelessly advocated for self-employed Oklahomans facing delays in receiving unemployment benefits, seeking direct relief for those at risk of eviction.
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Workforce Development: In 2025, she led an interim study on energy tax policy, focusing on how fair taxation across the energy sector can drive long-term job creation and economic resilience.
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Professional Advocacy: She filed legislation to protect school counselors' time by preventing them from being used as administrative test coordinators, ensuring they can focus on student mental health and career readiness.
Mary continues to fight for expanded parental leave and the protection of state employee benefits, consistently linking economic policy to the well-being of working families.
