Articles
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Law & Principles
If you hate the poor, raise the minimum wage
In Oklahoma, where market wages already exceed the state’s minimum wage, tying pay to big-city living costs in places like San Francisco would devastate Oklahoma’s rural economies.Jonathan Small | August 25, 2025
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Law & Principles
The legal and political implications of the latest OSSAA scandal
The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) is again facing scrutiny. Now with parents suing, the attorney general warning, and state lawmakers growing restless, OSSAA’s heavy-handed enforcement may be setting the stage for its own undoing.Ryan Haynie | August 22, 2025
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Education, Higher Education
Lawmakers must confront higher ed, K-12 on reading crisis
In 2022, state lawmakers made it clear that hospitals don’t get the money unless they stop harmful “gender reassignment” procedures on children. Lawmakers must now tell higher ed that they don’t get the money unless they stop harmful pedagogic procedures on children.Jonathan Small | August 22, 2025
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Education
Who’s draining whom?
Oklahoma’s public-education funding is at an all-time high. Private school choice pales by comparison.Brandon Dutcher | August 22, 2025
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Education
Report ranks Oklahoma 50th in education, warns money no cure-all
WalletHub has ranked Oklahoma’s public school system 50th in the nation, even as state funding for education has increased significantly in recent years.Ray Carter | August 20, 2025
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Education, Culture & the Family
Amid state and national backlash, OSSAA still touts DEI
The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) continues to tout DEI on its website, declaring that promotion of “groups that have social and cultural differences is an integral part of education-based activities” and claimed DEI is part of that effort.Ray Carter | August 20, 2025
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Budget & Tax
Oklahoma hailed as leader on state pension reform
For years, Oklahoma was ranked near the bottom of the 50 states based on the unfunded liabilities of its state pension systems. But reforms that took effect a decade ago have totally changed those statistics, and experts participating in a recent legislative study told lawmakers Oklahoma is now considered a national model.Ray Carter | August 20, 2025
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Budget & Tax
OSSAA generates millions annually
The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA), the governing body for high school sports and competitions, collected $9.7 million in revenue in 2024, with net income of $1.3 million, while paying its executive director nearly a quarter-million dollars annually.Curtis Shelton | August 19, 2025
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Law & Principles
When raising the wage means shrinking the workforce
Since 2000, California has steadily raised its minimum wage far above the federal level. During that same period, the state’s labor force participation rate has dropped sharply, with low-skilled workers leaving the workforce at the fastest pace.Curtis Shelton | August 18, 2025
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Education, Law & Principles
LNH reform opens doors for more special-needs children
Oklahoma lawmakers eliminated the one-year public school requirement for Lindsey Nicole Henry (LNH) scholarships, making it easier for families of children with special needs to afford private education that meets their needs. The reform ensures parents no longer have to choose between financial help and their child’s educational stability.Ray Carter | August 18, 2025