Articles
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Higher Education
OU debacle highlights dysfunction in higher ed
OU officials now admit a graduate assistant acted “arbitrarily” when he gave a student a zero for stating there are two sexes, but the episode exposes far more than one rogue instructor.Jonathan Small | January 19, 2026
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Education
Literacy improvement a major focus of Oklahoma leaders
Oklahoma lawmakers are making early literacy a top priority this session, filing a slate of bills aimed at reversing the state’s decline in reading outcomes. Led by House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, legislators want to revive and strengthen proven, science-based reading reforms.Ray Carter | January 16, 2026
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Budget & Tax, Law & Principles
Oklahoma House Speaker: No taxpayer benefits for illegals
Oklahoma House Speaker Kyle Hilbert has introduced two bills aimed at ensuring that taxpayer-funded assistance programs—from SNAP and TANF to Medicaid and WIC—are provided only to individuals who are lawfully present in the United States.Ray Carter | January 16, 2026
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Law & Principles, Economy
Study warns minimum-wage hike would cost Oklahoma 16,000 jobs, hit small businesses hardest
New research from the National Federation of Independent Business finds that the minimum wage increase proposed in State Question 832 would significantly damage Oklahoma’s economy, costing an estimated 16,112 jobs over 10 years—nearly 9,700 of them at small businesses—and reducing economic output by $697 million.Curtis Shelton | January 15, 2026
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Higher Education
OSU keeps employee who confronted conservative student, records show
An Oklahoma State University employee who sparked national controversy for berating a conservative student—and for falsely claiming that student-government rules banned his Turning Point USA hat—remains on staff.Ray Carter | January 15, 2026
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Higher Education
College official defends reliance on out-of-state students
Oklahoma taxpayers are subsidizing other states’ workforces as colleges increasingly enroll non-resident students—most of whom leave Oklahoma after graduation. Oklahoma’s chancellor of higher education defends the strategy as “importing talent and growing our workforce.”Ray Carter | January 14, 2026
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Budget & Tax
Oklahoma income-tax phaseout kicks in
Oklahoma’s income-tax phaseout plan took its first step on January 1, reducing the number of brackets from six to three and trimming each by a quarter point, lowering the top rate from 4.75% to 4.5%. The cuts come as state revenues remain stable with modest growth.Curtis Shelton | January 13, 2026
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Law & Principles
As U.S. Supreme Court transgender cases loom, Oklahoma officials defend women
As the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in two high-profile cases over whether states may bar men from competing in women’s sports, Oklahoma officials are urging the Court to uphold those laws.Ray Carter | January 13, 2026
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Education
Mississippi’s results speak for themselves: Retention policies work
Oklahoma lawmakers are preparing to make early reading a centerpiece of the upcoming legislative session with the READS Act, which includes a revived third-grade retention policy. As the “Mississippi Miracle” demonstrates, retention polices work.Tyler Williamson | January 12, 2026
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Education
‘Life-changing’: Oklahoma working-class families shift to private schools
Oklahoma’s school-choice tax credit is transforming education for thousands of families, including those living paycheck-to-paycheck. Parents say the program has opened doors they never imagined.Ray Carter | January 12, 2026