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In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. OK Policy encourages the support of Oklahoma’s state and local media, which are vital to an informed citizenry. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Some stories included here are behind paywall or require subscription. Subscribe to In The Know and see past editions.
State Government News
State Board of Education shake-up: Stitt replaces 3 with Deatherage, Tinney, VanDenhende: Citing “needless political drama,” Gov. Kevin Stitt announced the appointment of Ryan Deatherage, Michael Tinney and Chris VanDenhende to the State Board of Education today in a move that spells the end of the line for members Katie Quebedeaux, Kendra Wesson and Donald Burdick. [NonDoc]
- Stitt ousts 3 members of Oklahoma State Board of Education, criticizes board’s ‘political drama’ [Oklahoma Voice]
- Citing controversy and test scores, Stitt replaces three State Board of Education members [Tulsa World]
- ‘Fresh eyes’: Stitt nominates three new members to Oklahoma State Board of Education [Fox 25]
- Stitt ‘shakes up’ state ed board, appoints eastern Oklahoma businessman [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Stitt cans 3 Oklahoma State Board of Education members after ‘needless political drama’ [KOSU]
- Lawmakers: Concerns from business leaders may have contributed to state education leadership shakeup [KFOR]
Legislative Roundup
- Lawmakers Advance Dozens of Bills Out of Committee [Oklahoma Watch]
- House committee moves forward bill expanding child care subsidies for industry employees [Oklahoma Voice]
- House lawmakers reject communism education bill, advance new scholarship requirements [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma bill barring drag performances harmful to minors advances out of committee [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma Senate panel advances bill banning smoking in vehicles with children [Oklahoma Voice]
- Panel passes bill putting restrictions on Oklahoma Turnpike Authority [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma Senate committee advances teacher pay raise, phone limits [The Journal Record]
Long Story Short: Oklahoma Looks to Privatize Prison Food Service (audio): Oklahoma Watch reporters talk about the Oklahoma Department of Corrections’ efforts to pay a private company to overtake its food service operations, legislation filed this year that affects evictions, and the governor’s latest effort in his administration’s quest for government efficiency, Oklahoma’s version of the Division of Governmental Efficiency. [Oklahoma Watch]
Opinion: Get ready for a rough ride. ‘Draining the swamp’ will be no easy task: It’s clear that improving the functionality of federal and state agencies is extremely difficult. If not, it would have been done already by all the presidents and governors and department managers who have come before. Is Elon Musk up to the task? Is the yet-to-be named Oklahoma volunteer ready to jump in? [William C. Wertz / The Oklahoman]
Federal Government News
Oklahoma farmers react to USAID funding freeze: Recent cuts to USAID, the agency that purchases and distributes U.S. commodities to food-insecure nations, have created uncertainty for those who rely on their crops. [KFOR]
Democratic AGs allege Trump administration is freezing federal funds despite court order: Democratic attorneys general from throughout the country on Friday asked a federal judge to enforce a temporary restraining order he issued late last month, alleging the Trump administration is not complying with the court’s ruling. [Oklahoma Voice]
Drummond joins fight against climate superfund: Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has joined a growing national fight to kill a New York attempt to fine energy producers in Oklahoma and across the nation billions of dollars for environmental damage attributed to climate change. [The Journal Record]
Opinion: Dissolving USAID harms U.S. global influence and does not strengthen our nation: As such, the recent attack on USAID isn’t just bad policy — it’s dangerous. It undermines America’s global leadership, weakens our national security and will ultimately cost taxpayers more. This is not an “America First” agenda. [Madelyn Haden / The Oklahoman]
Tribal Nations News
‘We will not yield’: NCAI President Rallies Native Leaders to Protect Sovereignty: With hundreds of tribal leaders gathered in Washington, D.C., this week, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) delivered its annual State of Indian Nations address on Monday. Just three weeks into the second Trump administration, the central theme was the protection and defense of tribal sovereignty. [Native News Online]
Native nations mobilize against ICE targeting and profiling: Native nations across Turtle Island are working to ensure their citizens’ safety amid widespread reports of Indigenous people being racially profiled, stopped, questioned, and mistakenly detained for undocumented immigrants. They’re also reminding their citizens to find strength and resilience in the histories their communities have already overcome. [ICT]
‘DataBack’: The fight for genomic data sovereignty: Researchers want more transparency and equity from researchers in the handling of Indigenous DNA. For Indigenous peoples, one person’s genomic data can identify a large portion of relatives due to smaller population sizes and large families. [ICT]
Voting and Election News
Election Roundup
- Oklahoma County Commissioner District 1: Jason Lowe wins tight Dem primary [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma County District 1 Democratic primary: Lowe wins [The Oklahoman]
- Norman picks new mayor, Lowe advances in Oklahoma County primary and more election results [KOSU]
- Edmond mayoral election: Tom Robins, Mark Nash advance to April runoff [NonDoc]
- Edmond mayoral election results: Nash, Robins go to general election [The Oklahoman]
- OKC Ward 3 residents elected a new councilwoman Tuesday. [The Oklahoman]
- OKC City Council: Avers sends Peck packing; Pennington, Pettis head to Ward 7 runoff [NonDoc]
- OKC’s Ward 7 city council seat now to be decided by runoff in April [The Oklahoman]
- In Norman, Holman hammers Heikkila, Ball bounced [NonDoc]
- Special Elections: tracking mayoral races, city council seats, and propositions [Fox 25]
- Feb. 11 election results for the Tulsa area [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Wagoner County voters approve sales tax hike to pay off lawsuit settlement [Tulsa World]
Education News
Tulsa Public Schools invokes Oklahoma law to halt state audit release, auditor says: A forensic audit of Tulsa Public Schools with “significant” findings is complete, but State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd said Tuesday her office must wait two more weeks to release it. Byrd said Tulsa’s superintendent and school board invoked a state law that requires her office to discuss audit findings with the audited school at least 14 days prior to releasing the report publicly. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Tulsa Public Schools denies charges from auditor around delay of ‘significant’ financial report [Public Radio Tulsa]
- TPS audit release halted after statute requiring 14-day review period raised [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa school district invokes obscure law to avoid immediate release of state audit [The Oklahoman]
- Tulsa school board president cites miscommunication in audit delay drama [KFOR]
- Oklahoma state auditor blames Tulsa Public Schools for delay of special forensic audit reveal [KOSU]
Cyndi Thomas, other guidance counselors are at center of Oklahoma education: In many respects Cyndi Thomas and other guidance counselors are the air traffic controller at the center of a complex and often high-tech system designed to accomplish one of Oklahoma’s most important goals — giving its children the education that will help them succeed in life. [The Oklahoman]
School Board & Bond Election Roundup
- Owasso voters reject $193 million bond proposition [Tulsa World]
- Bond proposals totaling $146 million passes for Western Heights Public Schools [The Oklahoman]
- Bond proposal totaling $39.93 million passes for Cashion Public Schools [The Oklahoman]
- OKCPS Chairwoman Paula Lewis reelected; Millwood, Deer Creek seats head to runoff [NonDoc]
- Incumbent Paula Lewis wins reelection in race for Oklahoma City schools board chair [The Oklahoman]
- Paula Lewis wins reelection as OKCPS school board leader [Oklahoma Voice]
- Tulsa County: Kate Williams unseats BA school board VP, TPS District 3 to runoff [NonDoc]
Health News
DOGE sets its sights on Medicare and Medicaid: Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is quickly expanding its reach through the federal government. It recently accessed systems at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Musk and his team are now looking at key payment and contracting systems for Medicare and Medicaid. [NPR]
Opinion: Oklahoma’s abortion ban leaves my patients without a plan and threatens doctors like me: Oklahoma politicians, with zero training in medicine and no understanding of what can go wrong in pregnancy, have inserted themselves between doctors and their patients. [Dr. Jennifer Nelson / The Oklahoman]
Criminal Justice News
Traffic Scheme Nets Texas County DA’s Office Millions: A Florida truck driver was pulled over for speeding by a drug task force this summer near Goodwell, Oklahoma. She ended up becoming part of a system of fines that produced no court records but brought more than $2 million to the district attorney’s office. [Oklahoma Watch]
Soliciting sex among crimes discussed in Senate committee: Lawmakers on Tuesday addressed topics of punishment for various crimes — including soliciting sex, firing shots into a home or business, and stealing shopping carts — during a Senate committee meeting. [Tulsa World]
New interim Oklahoma County jail director promises more officer training, improvement: The Oklahoma County jail has an interim director, appointed by the county jail trust after another hail of accusations and condemnation by activists and a number of emotional pleas from former employees and survivors of detainees who have died in custody there. [The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- Tulsa Mayor Creates Office of Children, Youth and Families [The Black Wall Street Times]
- Executive order sets goal for Tulsa Mayor’s Office of Children, Youth and Families [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa County sheriff’s deputy arrested in connection with stolen property investigation [Tulsa World]
- Final plans for demolition at new downtown OKC arena site approved. What’s the timeline? [The Oklahoman]
- Demolition set for old convention center to make way for $1B arena [The Journal Record]
Quote of the Day
“All of the negative press that we’ve been getting through the State Department of Education and Ryan Walters has really impeded the ability of those that want to attract business to Oklahoma.”
– Sen. Mary Boren of Norman, speaking about concerns among business leaders, who have said the state education system’s reputation gives them pause about locating in Oklahoma. [KFOR]
Number of the Day
63%
In a 2023 survey by the American Communities Project, 63% of Americans said their communities were going in the right direction, including majorities in every community type the researchers looked at. Meanwhile, only 18% of Americans said the country was going in the right direction. In some communities, the share who said this was as low as 10%. [Pew Research]
Policy Note
Many Trump Administration Fiscal and Regulatory Actions Are Unlawful: During its first few weeks, the Trump Administration has unleashed a flurry of measures to radically reshape the federal government. Many of these moves are overtly unlawful. This paper identifies the legal problems with many of the most prominent actions: freezing funding, amending or repealing rules, and denying citizenship to children born in the United States. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]
- Obeying Court Orders Isn’t Optional [Brennan Center for Justice]
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