Articles
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Budget & Tax, Education
Time for lawmakers to assert authority, reward teachers
Oklahoma lawmakers have grappled for years over the matter of boosting public school teacher compensation.Jonathan Small | March 6, 2018
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Budget & Tax
Fixing future budgets
Some expenses are unpredictable. Will the transmission go out next month? Or, will it keep going for years? Other costs are predictable based on behavior. Keep grinding the gears and the transmission will fail.Jonathan Small | March 2, 2018
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Budget & Tax
Off the top, off the charts
Total state appropriations and total state spending are not the same thing. Conversations about the state budget and how much agencies have to spend often focus on a number near $7 billion. This number is only appropriations, not total spending.Curtis Shelton | February 28, 2018
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Budget & Tax, Education
Proposal would raise teacher pay, tame the bureaucracy
State Rep. Tom Gann (R-Inola) has proposed a bill that will fund a teacher pay raise with investment income derived from the assets managed by the Commissioners of the Land Office (CLO).Andrew C. Spiropoulos | February 23, 2018
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Budget & Tax
Too much state revenue?
State revenue keeps rising. This is good news for many Oklahomans, but not for those wanting higher taxes.Jonathan Small | February 23, 2018
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Budget & Tax
After Step Up plan fails, OKCPS urges employees to contact lawmakers
The acting superintendent of Oklahoma City Public Schools used the district’s taxpayer-funded email system to urge teachers and other staff members to lobby state lawmakers in the wake of the failure of the Step Up Oklahoma tax increase/teacher pay plan, OCPA has learned.Mike Brake | February 22, 2018
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Budget & Tax
Will cigarette tax revenues go up in smoke?
Headlines often give the game away when it comes to agenda-driven journalism. Such is the case with “Somebody says” headlines, where the “somebody” is invariably pushing a point of view shared by the reporter.Trent England | February 21, 2018
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Budget & Tax
A better plan
It’s easy for insiders to support tax increases – much easier than it is for low- and middle-income families and small businesses to pay higher taxes. That’s why this week the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs offered a revenue and reform plan. Our plan even received the endorsement of former U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn.Jonathan Small | February 16, 2018
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Budget & Tax
What's the difference: General Revenue Fund vs. Gross receipts
The monthly treasurer’s report often references the general revenue fund (GRF) and total gross receipts together, but it is important to understand what these numbers really mean.Curtis Shelton | February 14, 2018
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Budget & Tax
Four questions as session begins
Actions speak louder than words, but what they tell us is not always obvious. What do our elected officials believe? What are they really trying to do? Here are four questions to ask as we watch the legislative process unfold.Trent England | February 6, 2018