Articles
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Education
A $250,000 state superintendent? Oklahoma’s pay-raise panel triggers scrutiny
Oklahoma’s Statewide Official Compensation Commission has drawn criticism after voting to double the state superintendent’s salary to $250,000—making the position the highest-paid statewide elected office in Oklahoma and among the highest-paid education chiefs in the country.Ray Carter | November 17, 2025
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Higher Education
Is the OSU staffer who intimidated a conservative student still employed?
Weeks after berating a conservative student, an OSU staff member remains employed, according to multiple sources. The confrontation, first reported (with audio) by OCPA, drew national and international attention and prompted some lawmakers to demand her dismissal.Ray Carter | November 17, 2025
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Education
At many Oklahoma schools, very few students are proficient readers
In the Oklahoma City and Tulsa school districts, the vast majority of third-graders are not proficient in reading. Even in districts such as Edmond, Deer Creek, Broken Arrow, and Bixby, most students are failing to achieve proficiency.Ray Carter | November 13, 2025
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Law & Principles
Clinton, Biden donors call for ‘open primaries’ in Oklahoma
Many leading advocates of State Question 836—a proposal to replace Oklahoma’s traditional party-primary system with a California-style “open primary”—are donors to left-wing candidates and causes.Ray Carter | November 11, 2025
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Law & Principles
Ruling reaffirms state power to prosecute crimes within tribal boundaries
A federal judge has rejected the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s request to bar Oklahoma prosecutors from charging American Indians who are not members of the tribe for crimes committed within its historic reservation, which includes much of Tulsa.Ray Carter | November 10, 2025
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Law & Principles, Culture & the Family
Backers of Oklahoma open-primary plan tout California as model, success story
Supporters of State Question 836, which would replace Oklahoma’s party primaries with a single “open primary” where all candidates appear on one ballot, tout California’s system as a model.Ray Carter | November 7, 2025
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Education
Lawmakers hear claims OSSAA applies rules unevenly, denying students fair play
State lawmakers heard emotional testimony accusing the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) of applying its eligibility rules inconsistently and unfairly, depriving students of the chance to play high-school sports. OSSAA officials defended their process.Ray Carter | November 5, 2025
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Budget & Tax, Law & Principles
Oklahoma food-stamp numbers raise fraud concerns
Federal audits estimate that more than 10 percent of Oklahoma’s SNAP payments go to unqualified recipients, a rate that could saddle the state with up to $226 million in annual penalties under a new federal law.Ray Carter | November 4, 2025
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Law & Principles
OCPA defends Oklahoma’s anti-racism law before federal appeals court
OCPA’s Center for Law & Liberty has filed a brief in federal court defending Oklahoma’s anti-racism law, House Bill 1775. The law, passed in 2021, prohibits teaching that one race or sex is inherently superior or that individuals are inherently oppressive because of their race or sex.Ray Carter | November 4, 2025
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Law & Principles
‘Open primaries’ backers supported Marxist candidate for president
After “10 years of conversations and organizing in the Sooner State,” out-of-state activists with a history of radical-left politics—including ties to a Marxist presidential candidate—are trying to bring California’s election system to Oklahoma.Ray Carter | November 3, 2025