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Not a pretty picture: National outlook for state budgets looks a lot like Oklahoma's

We’re nowhere close to being out of the woods. That’s been our message of late on the state’s budget outlook (you can take a look here at our blog post analyzing of the most recent monthly revenue collections and here… Read more [More...]

John Thompson: The Black-White achievement gap

John Thompson is an Oklahoma City teacher with 18 years of urban high school experience and an education blogger at thisweekineducation.com. He contributes regularly to our blog on education issues. The Oklahoma City Public Schools has launched a campaign to… Read more [More...]

Show us you mean it!

So many people have told us in recent months how much they love our work  on the state’s budget situation, state questions, asset building, and other issues. We truly appreciate all the kinds words – but ask that if you… Read more [More...]

Upcoming Event: Financial education conference focuses on diversity in practice

The 2010 Financial Education in Oklahoma conference will focus on the challenges of providing financial education to populations of diverse ethnicity, age and gender at a time of growing financial pressures. The conference, hosted by the Oklahoma City branch of… Read more [More...]

A State Question parable

Say that you’re a lower-income working-class family and the house you’re living in is falling into disrepair. There are cracks in some of the walls, parts of the backyard fence have fallen in, and you know that pretty soon you’re… Read more [More...]

Upside Down: New report shows most asset building spending helping the wealthy

It is widely accepted that ownership of assets – a home, savings accounts, stocks and investments, a business – is a cornerstone of family financial security. Assets provide a cushion against temporary setbacks and allow for an investment in greater… Read more [More...]

Hey Mikey! Raising the Rainy Day Fund cap is the one ballot measures everyone can like

Remember Mikey from those old cereal commercials? He was the picky eater whose siblings foisted a bowl of  Life cereal in front of him saying, “It’s supposed to be good for you. But he won’t eat it. He hates everything”.… Read more [More...]

Quick Take: Revenue collections recovering very slowly

The latest revenue collections announced today (PDF) by Treasurer Scott Meacham continue to confirm that while revenues are recovering from their precipitous drop during the worst of the downturn, the recovery is slow and far from complete. September’s General Revenue… Read more [More...]

Guest Blog (Amy Santee): Women in Recovery program making a difference

Amy Santee, the author of this guest blog, is Senior Program Officer with George Kaiser Family Foundation in Tulsa. In my last blog post, I posed the following question: “Is it not better public policy to provide these (incarcerated) women… Read more [More...]

This ain't over yet: Outlook and recommondations for navigating the ongoing state fiscal crisis

This week OK Policy distributed a 4-page memo on the state budget to all candidates for state offices, which we have now released to a broader audience. The memo is intended to offer policymakers a clearer understanding of the budget… Read more [More...]

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