Authors
Jonathan Small
President
Jonathan Small, C.P.A., serves as President and joined the staff in December of 2010. Previously, Jonathan served as a budget analyst for the Oklahoma Office of State Finance, as a fiscal policy analyst and research analyst for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, and as director of government affairs for the Oklahoma Insurance Department. Small’s work includes co-authoring “Economics 101” with Dr. Arthur Laffer and Dr. Wayne Winegarden, and his policy expertise has been referenced by The Oklahoman, the Tulsa World, National Review, the L.A. Times, The Hill, the Wall Street Journal and the Huffington Post. His weekly column “Free Market Friday” is published by the Journal Record and syndicated in 27 markets. A recipient of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s prestigious Private Sector Member of the Year award, Small is nationally recognized for his work to promote free markets, limited government and innovative public policy reforms. Jonathan holds a B.A. in Accounting from the University of Central Oklahoma and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Recent Articles
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Education
Oklahoma teachers need the authority to maintain classroom order
Effective teaching depends on an orderly classroom. Unfortunately, discipline policies can sometimes undermine teachers’ ability to address disruptive behavior.Jonathan Small | September 28, 2026
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Education
Win-win: School choice is sending students to private schools—and freeing up dollars for public schools
Oklahoma’s expanding school-choice options are giving public schools greater financial flexibility while allowing families to choose the education that best fits their children.Jonathan Small | September 21, 2026
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Local Government
OKC commuter-rail plan could spread big-city problems along the tracks
Oklahoma City metro officials are pursuing a $1.8 billion, 39-mile commuter-rail system from Edmond through Oklahoma City to Norman, but taxpayers statewide should consider the problems that have accompanied similar transit projects elsewhere.Jonathan Small | September 14, 2026
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Budget & Tax
Oklahoma’s tax cuts are proving the critics wrong
Oklahoma’s experience under Gov. Kevin Stitt offers a useful rebuttal to the argument that cutting income taxes necessarily reduces government revenue.Jonathan Small | August 31, 2026
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Education
Oklahoma education reforms expose local leadership problems
Oklahoma’s poor public education outcomes are partly a consequence of a lack of leadership at the local level, as recent comments from Oklahoma school superintendents demonstrate.Jonathan Small | August 24, 2026
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Health Care
Arkansas's costly Medicaid lesson provides warning for Oklahoma
Arkansas' much-heralded Medicaid expansion experienced major cost overruns from the outset, drove up insurance premiums, failed to improve health outcomes, and left the state with dwindling insurer participation.Jonathan Small | August 17, 2026
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Economy, Energy
Armstrong seeks to fast-track America's energy future
Rising energy demand will push electricity prices higher unless America makes it easier to build new energy infrastructure. Sen. Alan Armstrong (R-Okla.) has introduced legislation to increase energy supply, help restrain costs for consumers, and replace regulatory bottlenecks with a more predictable approval process.Jonathan Small | August 10, 2026
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Economy
Want affordable housing? Get government out of the way
If Oklahoma wants to remain an affordable place to live, policymakers should focus on removing the obstacles that make homes more expensive to build and buy.Jonathan Small | August 3, 2026
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Economy, Culture & the Family
‘Worst’ states? Actions speak louder than rankings
Two national media outlets recently ranked Oklahoma among America's worst places to live, but the people actually moving across state lines tell a very different story.Jonathan Small | July 27, 2026
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Law & Principles
How Oklahoma changed under Republican leadership
Claims that Oklahoma has declined under Republican leadership overlook the state's dramatic progress over the past 15 years.Jonathan Small | July 20, 2026
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