Articles
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Education
Foster and adoptive children receiving school choice opportunities
When the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship program was opened to foster and adopted children in 2017, no one knew how popular it would be. While participation in the program has grown steadily in three years, for at least one family with five foster and adopted children, the program extension has been literally life-changing.Mike Brake | October 9, 2019
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Budget & Tax
Oklahoma rig count highlights wisdom of fiscal prudence
Oklahoma’s rig count reached a three-year low, pointing to a dampened confidence in the energy industry. This lack of confidence could impact Oklahoma’s economic outlook as the global economy continues to slow.Curtis Shelton | October 8, 2019
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Health Care
Expert: Lack of transparent pricing, unneeded procedures, driving up health costs
Politicians’ attempts to increase insurance coverage will do little to reduce medical costs or ensure appropriate medical care, according to a top medical expert.Ray Carter | October 7, 2019
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Health Care
Don’t be fooled: Federal government holds all the Medicaid cards
Medicaid expansion has proven to be a costly mistake for states. Oklahoma lawmakers should be wary of expanding Medicaid in exchange for temporary “conservative” reforms.Kaitlyn Finley | October 4, 2019
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Education
Building funds a challenge for both charter and district schools
Because Oklahoma’s public charter schools, unlike their traditional counterparts, do not receive local property tax funding, it is very difficult to pay for quality facilities, lawmakers were told at a recent legislative study. At the same time, some traditional districts face similar problems for a different reason: Their local property valuations are too low to pay for construction and repairs.Ray Carter | October 3, 2019
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Education
Teachers’ union calls for gun control
The National Education Association is urging its members, which include a sizable share of Oklahoma teachers, to lobby Congress to pass new gun-control laws.Ray Carter | October 2, 2019
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Education
Tax-credit program benefits school serving children dealing with trauma
First Lady Sarah Stitt recently spoke at an open-house event for Hope Harbor Academy near Claremore.Ray Carter | September 30, 2019
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Economy
Oklahoma workers’ comp rates continue decline
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready has announced approval of a 5.1-percent decrease in workers’ compensation insurance loss costs for 2020, continuing a downward trend in business costs that was fueled in part by enactment of major workers’ compensation reform in 2013.Ray Carter | September 30, 2019
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Budget & Tax
Stitt cracks down on federal grants that lead to state spending hikes
One agency’s use of federal grants led to diversion of a half-million dollars in state appropriations this year to replace those funds when the agency lost the grant. To prevent history from repeating, Gov. Kevin Stitt has ordered agencies to submit federal grant applications to his office for advance review.Ray Carter | September 27, 2019
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Health Care
Is Oklahoma’s food-stamp program indirectly harming citizen health?
Researchers estimate personal behaviors account for 40 percent of the determinants of health, with another 30 percent attributed to genetics. Health care accounts for just 10 percent.Ray Carter | September 27, 2019