Articles
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Education
‘Break glass in case of emergency’: Oklahoma Senate joins reading debate
Oklahoma lawmakers in both chambers have advanced major reading reforms that would end social promotion and force early intervention for struggling students.Ray Carter | February 25, 2026
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Education
Effort to handcuff school-choice program fails in Oklahoma Senate committee
An Oklahoma Senate committee has defeated legislation that would have undermined the state’s Parental Choice Tax Credit program.Ray Carter | February 23, 2026
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Education
As demand rises, Oklahoma Senate panel votes to raise Parental Choice Tax Credit ceiling
Oklahoma lawmakers are moving to expand the state’s Parental Choice Tax Credit program as rising demand pushes the current $250 million cap to the breaking point. SB 1380 passed a Senate committee on a 10-2 vote that broke along party lines, with Republicans in support and Democrats opposed.Ray Carter | February 23, 2026
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Education
OCPA: Say no to watering down educational excellence
OCPA President Jonathan Small urged lawmakers to oppose Senate Bill 1391, which is scheduled for a vote in the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee. The bill effectively forces private schools to adopt a public-school curriculum by mandating that private schools administer state tests based on the public-school curriculum.Staff | February 23, 2026
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Law & Principles
Foreign billionaire’s money backs minimum-wage effort?
A group accused of helping move foreign money into U.S. ballot campaigns has quietly pumped $50,000 into Oklahoma’s State Question 832—the measure that would tie Oklahoma’s minimum wage to the cost of living in expensive cities.Jonathan Small | February 23, 2026
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Law & Principles
Oklahoma House panel advances measures mandating immigration verification for welfare
Two bills to bar illegal immigrants from receiving taxpayer-funded welfare benefits have cleared committee and are headed to the Oklahoma House floor. One Democrat lawmaker countered that the bills may deter illegal immigrants from seeking welfare benefits for family members.Ray Carter | February 19, 2026
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Education
House panel advances bill requiring school districts to post share of funds going to instruction
Oklahoma schools would have to prominently disclose what share of their budgets goes to classroom instruction under House Bill 3711. The bill’s author says any district confident in its priorities should have no problem showing the public how much is actually spent on instruction.Ray Carter | February 19, 2026
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Budget & Tax, Health Care
Oklahoma’s Medicaid bill comes due
The Obamacare Medicaid expansion was sold as a program fueled by “free” federal dollars, but Oklahoma is now seeing the real bill. Spending at the Oklahoma Health Care Authority has climbed by nearly $3.5 billion since 2020.Curtis Shelton | February 18, 2026
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Education
Oklahoma public school revenue surges to nearly $15,000 per student
New figures from the Oklahoma Cost Accounting System show public schools took in $9.59 billion from local, state, and federal sources in the 2024–2025 school year—nearly $15,000 per student when divided by average daily attendance. That’s a 53% jump in per-student revenue since 2018.Ray Carter | February 18, 2026
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Economy
SQ 832 ties Oklahoma wages to NYC socialist mayor’s agenda
If approved, State Question 832 would peg Oklahoma’s minimum wage to the urban-center cost-of-living index. This would effectively allow leaders in high-cost cities, such as Zohran Mamdani, to indirectly dictate Oklahoma’s wage law.Ray Carter | February 17, 2026