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The Weekly Wonk is a summary of Oklahoma Policy Institute’s events, publications, blog posts, and coverage. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In The Know. Click here to subscribe to In The Know.
This week on the OK Policy Blog, we shared new data showing that Oklahoma’s education per pupil school formula funding has dropped more than any other state’s since 2008. The Tulsa World talked to Policy Director Gene Perry about what that means for Oklahoma. Steve Lewis noted that juvenile justice, child welfare, and suicide are receiving attention at the state Capitol.
We explained what you need to know about upcoming judicial elections, and discussed some state questions that will be on the ballot. SQ 769 would allow military reserve and guard members to hold elected office, and SQ 770 and 771 would expand property tax breaks for some veterans and their families. Executive Director David Blatt discussed the three state questions in his Journal Record column.
On November 10th, OK Policy will host Dr. Lawrence R. Jacobs, a leading expert on health care policy, for his lunchtime talk “The 2014 Elections and the Future of Health Reform.” Click here to purchase tickets.
In his Journal Record column, Oklahoma Observer editor Arnold Hamilton cited OK Policy data on Oklahomans’ political affiliations while discussing why political change may be on the rise in this state. In our Editorial of the Week, The Oklahoman’s editorial board pointed out that a bill to expand DNA testing of persons charged with some crimes might be set back by testimony from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation that thousands of tests already mandated under existing law go undone. We’ve written about why indiscriminate DNA testing could put innocent Oklahomans at risk before.
Quote of the week:
“The problem with accountability in public education in America is we measure what’s easy then make it important. We have to reverse this and measure what’s important, not what’s easy.”
– Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Rob Neu, discussing OKCPS’s decision to build a 150-person committee and draft a school improvement plan for the district (Source: bit.ly/ZXsrTU)
See previous Quotes of the Day here.
Numbers of the day:
- 1,881 – Deaths due to stroke in Oklahoma in 2012. Strokes were the fifth leading cause of death in Oklahoma that year.
- 87% – Percentage of Oklahoma’s public elementary school teachers who are women.
- 10,089 – Number of active underground storage tanks in Oklahoma carrying certain hazardous substance or petroleum. There have been 38 confirmed releases and 35 completed cleanups this year.
- 87% – Percentage of Oklahoma’s public elementary school teachers who are women.
See previous Numbers of the Day and sources here.
What we’re reading:
- Vox explains why racial disparities in the criminal justice system mean that African Americans are the people most likely to be affected by death penalty cases and least likely to have a say in those cases.
- The Washington Post shows how connecting employees to social services can reduce employee turnover, particularly in entry-level, low-income jobs.
- Politico surveys the fluid, confusing legal environment facing immigration courts as thousands of migrant children from Central America process through the system, many without representation.
- A new study has found that the number of emergency room visits falls dramatically within a year when low-income adults are enrolled in public health coverage.
- The Tulsa World’s Wayne Greene explains why he thinks Gov. Fallin will continue to refuse to expand health coverage to low-income Oklahomans – and why the state will become much sicker as a result.
