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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.
New from OK Policy
Oklahoma lawmakers file bills to help tackle Oklahoma’s teacher shortage (Capitol Update): A couple of bills prefiled for the next legislative session by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Senate Education Committee are thoughtful efforts to meet the challenge of Oklahoma’s critical teacher shortage. According to the Oklahoma State Department of Education, approximately 6,000 teaching positions open annually across Oklahoma, and over 4,000 emergency certified teachers are currently working in classrooms statewide without completing required teacher preparation programs. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
Oklahoma News
Oklahoma reveals A-F grades for public school results: The Oklahoma State Department of Education has assigned the state a D grade for academic achievement in public schools but a C in learning growth for the 2024-25 school year. The agency on Monday released its annual Oklahoma School Report Cards, which included A-F grades for each public school and for statewide averages. [Oklahoma Voice]
- What to know before looking at Oklahoma’s new school report cards [KFOR]
- New school report cards reveal slight decline in grades statewide [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma State Report Card: Students earn ‘D’ in academic achievement [KOCO]
- Oklahoma School Report Cards Show Mixed Progress in Achievement and Growth [News on 6]
- More schools earn D’s on 2025 Oklahoma Public School Report Card [Fox 25]
State Government News
Oklahoma Supreme Court decides Open Records Act cases on jail trusts, metadata: In Lawson v. LeFlore County Detention Center Public Trust, justices said county trusts contracted to operate jails are public bodies, but the court held they are not law enforcement agencies, whose obligations to release records are more narrow. [NonDoc]
Oklahoma sues vendor after fire damages Sequoyah lodge and restaurant: The state has sued a contractor after a fire caused damage to the Sequoyah State Park lodge and restaurant. On Dec. 14, a fire at the Sequoyah Lodge caused $4.5 million in damages, according to the filing. [Oklahoma Voice]
Federal Government News
Oklahoma National Guard to deploy to Washington, D.C.: Friends, family, and Oklahoma National Guard leaders gathered Monday in Mustang for a ceremony held for the “Task Force Thunder” as they prepare to depart for Washington, D.C. The mobilization comes after Gov. Kevin Stitt authorized them to deploy for Washington, D.C., as part of the “D.C. Safe and Beautiful” mission. [KOCO]
Major changes are coming to Medicare. Tulsa experts urge seniors to check their plans.: There’s good news and bad news if you receive Social Security benefits and use Medicare. The good news is, thanks to the federal government’s 2026 Cost of Living Adjustment, you’ll receive 2.8% more in Social Security starting Jan. 1. The bad news, though, is Medicare premiums are going up and you’ll likely pay more for your prescriptions in the new year. [Tulsa Flyer]
Undocumented mothers in Missouri navigate pregnancy, postpartum as ICE threats loom: Oscarina spent the first week of her son’s life moving between his bassinet in the neonatal intensive care unit and her small apartment to care for her 6-year-old daughter. Eight weeks into the pregnancy, her husband was detained while delivering a DoorDash order. He was deported back to Venezuela a short time later. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Interior Department Takes On Tribal Education: The Department of the Interior is set to take a bigger role in tribal education, and some lawmakers say the dismantling of the Department of Education could spell problems for tribal programs caught in the reshuffling. [Oklahoma Watch]
State urges U.S. Supreme Court to deny review of tribal member’s tax exemption request: The U.S. Supreme Court should deny a request to review a state of Oklahoma ruling regarding tribal citizen state taxation, but if it decides to take up the case, it may as well revisit its “incorrectly decided” landmark McGirt ruling, according to a filing made on behalf of the state. [Tulsa World]
Opinion: Tribal IDs Are Federally Recognized. ICE Agents Are Ignoring Them.: Native Americans — whose ancestors were the first inhabitants of this land — are being stopped by masked ICE agents across the country. Why? Because some agents see darker-skinned individuals as potential undocumented immigrants based solely on appearance. It’s an assault on identity, on tribal sovereignty, and on basic human dignity. [Levi Rickert / Native News Online]
Voting and Election News
Concerns over AI in an Oklahoma political ad, what it means for state campaigns: Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate Charles McCall is the subject of a political ad that appears to use artificial intelligence. The ad that includes McCall includes video depictions of McCall that are not real. [News 9]
Former city councilor files for Tulsa school board seat: Connie Dodson, who served on the Tulsa City Council from 2014-2022, filed for office Monday with the Tulsa County Election Board for Tulsa Public Schools’ District 4 seat. [Tulsa World]
Education News
How an OU student’s failing grade turned into a viral online debate: A University of Oklahoma student’s claim of religious discrimination after she failed an assignment is drawing national attention from elected officials, influencers and millions of social media users. [The Oklahoman]
- University of Oklahoma student claims religious discrimination over essay grade, school investigates [KOSU]
- Hear how OU students feel about viral essay controversy (video) [The Oklahoman]
- Opinion: Letters to the Editor: Here’s what teachers had to say about the OU student essay [The Oklahoman]
OKC charter school on probation meets state deadline. What comes next: Proud to Partner Leadership Academy had until Nov. 26 to file a corrective action plan with the state board, which it did. Representatives from the school will also make a presentation at this month’s state board meeting, set for Monday, Dec. 8. [The Oklahoman]
Union, Tulsa Public Schools share efforts to address chronic absenteeism: With school attendance rates still lagging behind pre-pandemic rates, school leaders are turning to a multipronged approach to try to get more students in class on a regular basis. [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa superintendent details $600M bond proposal, attendance priorities [News on 6]
OKC schools extends Superintendent Jamie Polk’s contract, ups her salary: Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Jamie Polk will receive a multi-year contract extension and a $25,000 salary increase, but a district school board member suggested she deserved more. [Oklahoma Voice]
Health News
Oklahoma maternal mortality rate dips slightly, remains above national average: Oklahoma’s maternal mortality rate has improved, following national trends, according to the state’s annual report. But it remains elevated compared to national data, as women face factors like limited health care access, higher poverty and uninsured rates, and maternity care deserts. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
- Tulsa gets an ‘F’ in March of Dimes report on preterm births [Tulsa World]
Opinion: Oklahoma has a drug price problem. It’s time for lawmakers to fix it: When we talk about access to health care in Oklahoma, we tend to focus on doctors, hospitals, and insurance coverage. But there’s another gap hiding in plain sight — one that affects children, people with chronic conditions, and rural patients alike: the quiet crisis in compounding pharmacies. [Kati Malicoate / The Oklahoman]
Opinion: As other states ban pharmacy benefit managers, OK should show more caution: Policymakers are right to look for solutions that make medications more affordable, but in doing so, we must take care not to make the system worse in the name of reform. [A.J. Ferate / The Oklahoman]
- Opinion: Free market helps insure pharmacy access for rural Oklahoma [Ben Kimbro / The Oklahoman]
Criminal Justice News
Price tag for new OK County jail soars past $800 million: The new Oklahoma County jail finally has a price tag: about $835 million. The amount is about $635 million more than the county currently has for it. Construction and county officials released new details about estimated cost, which now accounts for interior elements. [The Oklahoman]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Norman City Council purchases Griffin Hospital land for permanent homeless shelter: Norman City Council members unanimously approved a $74,290 deal to buy more than three acres for a permanent homeless shelter in late November. The land is part of Griffin Memorial Hospital, the state’s largest inpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment center. [KOSU]
Tulsa developers could breathe new life — and housing — into historic Crutchfield neighborhood: Two developers are breathing new life into the century-old Crutchfield District in north Tulsa. They’re planning to build nearly 1,000 housing units in the next few years. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Two OKC nonprofits get grants from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, his wife: City Care and City Rescue Mission are each set to receive a $2.5 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund to help them as they work to eradicate homelessness. [The Oklahoman]
Economy & Business News
As data centers draw public scrutiny, Tulsa journalists investigate cryptocurrency mining: As some Oklahomans side-eye data centers looking to move into their communities, reporters at Tulsa-based media company The Pickup have been looking into a similar concern: cryptocurrency mines. [KOSU]
Confused about Oklahoma’s new food truck laws? Here’s your chance to ask questions.: New laws impacting food truck operations across Oklahoma went into effect Nov. 1, leaving many food truck owners — especially those in the Latino community — wondering how they’ll be impacted. Tulsa Global District is joining the City of Tulsa, the Tulsa Health Department, Eastside Rise and other organizations serving Latino communities to hold a community meeting on the topic. [Tulsa Flyer]
Tax experts recommend donating big for Giving Tuesday: After the frenzy of Thanksgiving cooking, eating and recovering, followed by Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, Giving Tuesday offers Oklahomans a day to step back from holiday overload to support the important work of local nonprofits, while taking advantage of significant tax benefits. [The Journal Record]
Community News
‘She was our queen’: Tulsa community celebrates life and legacy of Mother Fletcher: From Bartlesville to north Tulsa, local political figures, community advocates, spiritual leaders, family, friends and admirers gathered last weekend to remember the life of Viola Ford Fletcher. Together, they lifted their voices with speeches, songs, prayers and musical selections in honor of Mother Fletcher, the oldest known survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. She died Nov. 24 at 111 years old. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
A native prairie bird lost federal protection. People are still trying to save it on private land: The lesser prairie chicken was once a common sight in the southern Great Plains, but its numbers are dwindling. Even so, it lost federal protections earlier this year for a second time. Now states and landowners are overseeing conservation efforts. [Harvest Public Media via KOSU]
Local Headlines
- OKC survey asks resident opinions on public transportation, funding options [The Journal Record]
- Tulsa home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright sells for $3.5 million [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“At the end of the year, we’re not going to be able to look back and say, ‘We’ve made a 20% shift in chronic absenteeism,’ because we can’t when we’re chipping away one student at a time. However, what it’s doing making a real impact one student at a time. But we’re also learning a lot in the process. We’re better understanding the foundational issues, so that as a district, we can address them.”
— Rebecca Boyer, Union High School’s assistant principal of student engagement, describing the school’s multi-pronged approach to tackling chronic absenteeism, defined as missing at least 10% of instructional time or about 16 days of the school year. Union High School in Tulsa lowered its absenteeism by 1.35% in 2024-2025, but 31% of its students are considered chronically absent as of November 10, 2025. [Tulsa World]
Number of the Day
-0.8%
Percent change in the number of teachers in the Oklahoma’s public schools over 5 years (2018–19 to 2022–23), while the national rate was +1.7%. [Learning Policy Institute]
Policy Note
An Overview of Teacher Shortages: 2025: Teacher shortages stem from two main factors: fewer people entering the profession and high rates of teachers leaving. Local, state, and federal education leaders and policymakers all play important roles in reducing pervasive teacher shortages. [Learning Policy Institute]
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