Articles
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Education
New report challenges claims that school choice excludes special-needs students
A new report challenges the claim that private school-choice programs exclude students with disabilities, estimating that students with disabilities account for 15.5% to 17.2% of private-school choice enrollment nationwide, compared with 15% of traditional public-school students.Ray Carter | October 15, 2026
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Education
Idaho ends automatic teacher-union dues deductions; Oklahoma still allows them
Idaho recently ended public schools’ practice of automatically deducting teachers’ union dues from employees’ paychecks, requiring unions to collect payments directly from members—a reform Oklahoma lawmakers have considered but not enacted.Ray Carter | October 13, 2026
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Economy
Experts tell Oklahoma lawmakers government is making things more expensive
Experts from several policy organizations told Oklahoma lawmakers on Monday that government regulations and spending policies can contribute to rising costs for housing, higher education, and health care.Ray Carter | October 13, 2026
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Judicial Reform
Can judicial candidates call themselves conservative? Federal judge limits Oklahoma restrictions
A federal judge has temporarily barred the Oklahoma Council on Judicial Complaints from investigating or recommending discipline against judicial candidates for publicly identifying their political-party affiliation while a First Amendment lawsuit proceeds.Ray Carter | October 12, 2026
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Higher Education
OU must answer allegations of racial discrimination in financial aid
A federal judge has allowed a class-action lawsuit alleging race-based financial aid practices at the University of Oklahoma to proceed.Jonathan Small | October 12, 2026
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Budget & Tax, Local Government
OKC rail plan would add roughly $200 a year to the average resident’s sales tax burden
The tax hike required for the proposed passenger rail line connecting Edmond, Oklahoma City, and Norman would add an estimated $226 to the annual sales-tax burden of the average Edmond resident, $204 for an Oklahoma City resident, and $182 for a Norman resident.Curtis Shelton | October 9, 2026
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Local Government
OKC mayor says rail will ease traffic. Transportation experts disagree.
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt is pitching a proposed 39-mile passenger rail system (and tax increase) as one way to ease traffic congestion. But according to one expert, “It’s an established fact among researchers that transit does not meaningfully reduce congestion, and nobody should argue that it does.”Ray Carter | October 8, 2026
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Budget & Tax, Law & Principles
Oklahoma Supreme Court rejects tax hike, requires county officials to follow the law
The Oklahoma Supreme Court has invalidated a voter-approved 2% lodging-tax increase in McCurtain County because county officials failed to comply with a state law requiring proposed county tax measures to be published in a local newspaper for four weeks before the election.Ryan Haynie | October 8, 2026
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Law & Principles, Local Government
Report finds socialists are targeting state, local, and school board elections
A new State Policy Network report finds that the Democratic Socialists of America is pursuing political influence primarily through state, local, and school board elections.Ray Carter | October 7, 2026
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Higher Education
OU’s H-1B filing raises questions about jobs for its own graduates
The University of Oklahoma is seeking an H-1B visa extension for an employee working as a sports video production manager at a salary of $55,931, a filing that has drawn attention because OU operates a video-production degree program that prepares students for careers in the field.Ray Carter | October 6, 2026