Articles
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Education
News 9/News On 6 survey finds support for school choice
A new survey of likely Republican voters in Oklahoma shows very strong support for school choice.Brandon Dutcher | August 4, 2022
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Budget & Tax, Good Government
Oklahoma state savings reach historic level
Gov. Kevin Stitt says record-high savings means the Oklahoma government can now provide tax relief.Ray Carter | August 4, 2022
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Budget & Tax
Lankford, other Republicans warn against tax increase
U.S. Sen. James Lankford and other Republican lawmakers warn that a proposed tax-and-spend package recently unveiled by Democrats, the “Inflation Reduction Act of 2022,” will hammer U.S. manufacturing and cause consumer prices to surge even amidst historic levels of inflation.Ray Carter | August 4, 2022
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Budget & Tax, Education
Administrative spending soars at largest Oklahoma school districts
A state watchdog agency found that administrative spending is growing at a faster pace than instructional spending in the Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Putnam City, and Lawton school districts, but not in Broken Arrow or Jenks.Ray Carter | August 3, 2022
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Economy
Environmental-policy folly is no laughing matter
In states across the country and nations across the globe, politicians’ embrace of a “Green New Deal” style of environmental policy has often been a comedy of errors. But the real-world results are no laughing matter.Jonathan Small | August 1, 2022
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Education
Concerns over racism, porn lead to Tulsa school sanction
Amid concerns over race-based ideology and pornography in school libraries, the State Board of Education has voted to sanction Tulsa Public Schools.Ray Carter | July 28, 2022
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Law & Principles
Tribes’ alleged treaty violations focus of Senate hearing
The history of federal-tribe relations is littered with tales of broken treaties. But a U.S. Senate hearing flipped the typical script this week as lawmakers considered whether five Oklahoma tribes have been violating their treaties for more than 100 years by denying citizenship to the descendants of their former black slaves.Ray Carter | July 28, 2022
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Budget & Tax, Education
Watchdog: Oklahoma schools paid millions for unnecessary services
Oklahoma schools have received millions of dollars in annual funding to teach English to bilingual students who have already mastered the language, apparently allowing schools to inflate their budgets without providing extra services, a state watchdog agency has found.Ray Carter | July 27, 2022
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Budget & Tax, Education
Major irregularities found in school spending reports
A cursory review of the state’s Oklahoma Cost Accounting System (OCAS), a program that compiles financial data from all public-school districts, quickly identified significant irregularities, including reports showing Oklahoma schools spent nearly a quarter-million dollars on firearms that were labeled as nutrition services and other non-weapon categories.Ray Carter | July 26, 2022
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Budget & Tax, Education
Hofmeister backs down, agrees to greater transparency
Oklahoma Secretary of Education Ryan Walters has prevailed in a face-off with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister regarding millions of dollars in state spending.Ray Carter | July 25, 2022