Articles
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Budget & Tax
Spending restraint would save Oklahoma taxpayers billions
Total state funds expenditures are expected to smash records in fiscal year (FY) 2018 for the seventh consecutive year, after rising from $11.5 billion in FY 2011 to $16.1 billion in FY 2017.Joel Griffith | August 17, 2018
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Education
School choice is helping these kids
A tax-credit scholarship program is helping homeless children, teenage students battling addiction, north Tulsa students ill-served by Tulsa Public Schools, and many more.Jonathan Small | August 17, 2018
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Education
Let’s be humble on what we know about education
Sound education policy begins by accepting just how much we do not know and cannot know. Let’s put the people who do know—the parents—in charge.Greg Forster, Ph.D. | August 16, 2018
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Education, Good Government
SQ 801 empowers schools to set priorities
“Under current law, schools are prohibited from using a portion of school-dedicated property tax revenue on anything other than building-related expenses,” OCPA distinguished fellow Andrew Spiropoulos writes. SQ 801 “amends the state constitution to provide school districts increased authority to use property tax revenue to fund school operations.”Andrew C. Spiropoulos | August 16, 2018
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Budget & Tax
A look at 2018 revenue collections
Total Gross Receipts were up 11% and General Revenue Fund collections grew 16.1% in fiscal year 2018 compared to the year before. And, revenue from income and sales taxes continued to grow throughout the year.Curtis Shelton | August 10, 2018
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Higher Education
OU hire should respect Oklahomans
The University of Oklahoma is kicking off a national search for an associate vice president of university community.Jonathan Small | August 10, 2018
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Education
Crossover Prep brings hope, transformation
Incredibly, only 22 African-American senior boys were college-ready in Tulsa Public Schools in 2015. With the help of Oklahoma’s tax-credit scholarship program, a private school in north Tulsa is tackling the problem head-on.Patrick B. McGuigan | August 9, 2018
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Education
As teacher pay raises kick in, OKCPS teachers must wait
Oklahoma City Public Schools announced that the raises due to all certified and support personnel would be delayed until September because “we felt it was important to work closely with our union partners in the interpretation and implementation of the statutes.”Mike Brake | August 8, 2018
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Education
OCPA comments on State Question 801
After Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin issued an election proclamation that places State Question 801 on the November ballot, Jonathan Small, president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), made the this statement.Staff | August 3, 2018
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Education
Free Market Friday: Emergency?
We continue to see news stories about emergency certifications for teachers who didn’t take the traditional certification route to get a teaching license. But are we getting the full story?Jonathan Small | August 3, 2018