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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Budget & Tax
A new jail is a core function of government. Oklahoma County should fund it.
Oklahoma County voters face a choice over whether to raise sales taxes to fund a new county jail.Jonathan Small | October 19, 2026
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Higher Education
OU must answer allegations of racial discrimination in financial aid
A federal judge has allowed a class-action lawsuit alleging race-based financial aid practices at the University of Oklahoma to proceed.Jonathan Small | October 12, 2026
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Education
How hard is it not to teach students that one race is superior to another?
There are only two potential explanations for critics’ opposition to HB 1775. Either opponents truly struggle to understand simple English, or opponents genuinely embrace horrific racism and sexism.Jonathan Small | October 5, 2026
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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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