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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
Policy Matters: Oklahoma chooses to let children stay hungry: When Oklahoma’s governor announced he was again rejecting federal dollars to feed hungry children next summer, he shared more truth than I believe he intended: “The State of Oklahoma is fully capable of serving children and students without a federal program.” Yes, Oklahoma is capable of ensuring that no child goes to bed hungry. Yet, 1 in 5 Oklahoma children don’t know where their next meal will come from, so we have to conclude some of our elected officials choose this outcome. [Shiloh Kantz / The Journal Record]
- From OK Policy: Fact Check: Will Oklahoma families save $800 a year from eliminating the state portion of the grocery sales tax?
Oklahoma News
Ryan Walters’ agency revises federal funding notices less than a week after months-late release: Federal funding notices that Oklahoma school districts waited months for have had to be revised by state officials less than a week after they were finally released — resulting in much lower figures for many Tulsa-area school districts. [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma schools’ Title 1 funding amounts less than what districts expected [FOX23]
Oklahoma minimum wage hike proposal likely to miss the Nov. 5 general election ballot: It is highly unlikely a state question seeking to raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage will be on the Nov. 5 general election ballot, a campaign spokeswoman said Wednesday. [Oklahoma Voice]
- From OK Policy: SQ 832: Minimum Wage Increase Info & Resources | What you need to know about the minimum wage in Oklahoma
As Kevin Stitt called for more election spending transparency, his supporters used dark money to hide donors: The organizers of a political action committee that backed the governor’s allies have ties to Stitt. All of the group’s funding came from a nonprofit that doesn’t have to report its donors. [The Frontier]
State Government News
Oklahoma AG says State Board of Education must allow lawmakers into executive sessions: Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued a formal opinion Wednesday afternoon saying the State Board of Education must allow lawmakers to attend executive sessions at board meetings. [KGOU]
- AG opinion: Legislators must be allowed into Oklahoma education board’s executive sessions [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma lawmakers allowed to attend executive sessions of entities they oversee, AG says [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma AG asserts legislators’ right to attend State Board of Ed. executive sessions [FOX25]
DHS chief resignation follows custody case protest that Gov. Stitt’s father participated in: Just days after the father of Gov. Kevin Stitt and supporters of a boy in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services held a news conference in Tulsa to criticize the agency, the governor called its executive director into a meeting. The next day, which was Tuesday, DHS Executive Director Dr. Deborah Shropshire abruptly resigned her post. [The Oklahoman]
- Director of Oklahoma Human Services resigns after less than two years in position [KOSU]
Federal Government News
Lankford tells business leaders 2025 will be ‘the year of the tax’: Regardless of who wins this year’s elections, next year will be “the year of the tax,” U.S. Sen. James Lankford told a group of Tulsa-area business executives Wednesday morning. That doesn’t mean taxes will go up in 2025. It means Congress will be in nonstop discussions about what to keep, what to throw away and what to modify from the 2017 legislation known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, much of which expires at the end of next year. [Tulsa World]
Lankford criticizes Democrats for using failed immigration bill as ‘political football’ in presidential race: U.S. Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said Wednesday a failed bipartisan immigration bill that would have been a first major reform in years for the struggling system was being used as “a political football.” [KGOU]
Tribal Nations News
Study: TV shows with authentic Native American representation increase support for Indigenous issues: A new study by researchers and the University of Southern California provides hope and a path forward, following a troubled past of stereotypical depictions and a lack of Indigenous creatives in the entertainment industry. [KOSU]
Cherokee Nation to break ground on adult drug treatment center: Leaders of the Cherokee Nation will gather Thursday to break ground on a new state-of-the-art adult drug treatment center near Tahlequah, the first of $76 million worth of capital projects the tribe is undertaking to help Cherokees struggling with substance abuse or misuse. [Enid News & Eagle]
Policing flaws in MMIP cases exposed: A Yaqui woman’s disappearance in Portland exposed policing flaws in MMIP cases. When Wilma Acosta, Pascua Yaqui, went missing, Portland police announced Acosta had “suicidal ideations,” despite repeated denials of that claim from Acosta’s family. Experts say such announcements are harmful. [ICT]
- From OK Policy: No more delayed justice, HB 1077 is good tribal-state policy
Voting and Election News
What’s on the ballot for the August 27th primary election in Oklahoma: Oklahomans will head to the polls Tuesday to decide runoffs, local ballot initiatives and more. Many state legislators are running unopposed for re-election. But several Republican incumbents face primary challengers in runoffs from further right on the political spectrum. [KOSU]
What to know about the contentious primary runoff for Oklahoma House District 32: Early voting in next week’s primary runoff election is underway, and in some areas of the state, incumbent lawmakers are fighting to save their political skin. At least that’s what’s happening in Lincoln County’s House District 32, northeast of Oklahoma City. [The Oklahoman]
House District 60 runoff: Mike Kelley, Ron Lynch offer contrasting views on priorities, needs: The Republican runoff for Oklahoma House District 60 features Mike Kelley, a former firefighter who hopes to use his experience and contacts to better the district, and Ron Lynch, a small business owner who thinks the government could learn something from his popcorn shop. [NonDoc]
Voting for Tulsa mayor, City Council and County Commission District 2 begins Thursday: Early in-person voting for the Aug. 27 municipal and county elections begins Thursday at the Tulsa County Election Board, 555 N. Denver Ave. Seven candidates are on the ballot to succeed Mayor G.T. Bynum. More than two dozen candidates are running for nine Tulsa City Council seats. [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa City Council District 5: Alicia Andrews, Karen Gilbert compete to succeed controversial councilor [NonDoc]
McCurtain County sheriff runoff: Bruce Shirey, Jason Ricketts, call for change: Little more than a year after McCurtain County Sheriff Kevin Clardy was caught with other county officials making threats and racist remarks, Bruce Shirey, 41, and Jason Ricketts, 52, are running against each other for the Republican nomination to replace him. [NonDoc]
Opinion: Vote so that election results accurately reflect the community: As we move into the home stretch of a national election year, it’s easy to lose sight of a simple but fundamental truth: Often, the government that impacts your life the most is the one closest to you. When few people go to the polls, a small fraction of Tulsans decides the leaders for our entire community. It is dangerous for our continued prosperity if we do not change that. [Mike Neal / Tulsa World]
Education News
Oklahoma’s education department quietly made changes that will cause big jumps in state test scores: A change to Oklahoma’s method for scoring state tests will cause student proficiency rates to jump by as much as 33% even while internal state records indicate actual academic gains have been stagnant. School district leaders say the state Department of Education has not disclosed the upswing is due in large part to a new scoring system rather than improvements in public school performance. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Skyrocketing Test Gains in Oklahoma Are Largely Fiction, Experts Say [The74]
Former OSDE employees describe a department in disarray under Ryan Walters after federal report: While state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters is blaming his predecessor for shortcomings listed in a scathing federal report on the Oklahoma State Department of Education, those who formerly worked in the agency under Walters call it a “glaring red light” that paints a picture of a department in disarray. [The Oklahoman]
OSDE system stalls leaving thousands of students’ information behind: The system used by Oklahoma teachers to transfer plans for students with any special needs has stalled and it’s unknown when exactly it will be fixed. [KFOR]
Bible Teaching in Every Classroom? In Oklahoma, Few Signs It’s Happening: Oklahoma’s schools superintendent announced in June that every teacher in the state would be expected to teach the Bible. As schools open, there’s little evidence they have changed their curriculums or teaching. [New York Times]
Investigators fast-track Oklahoma State Department of Education finance probe: The state’s Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency has fast-tracked an investigation of the handling of finances by the State Department of Education under the administration of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters. [Tulsa World]
Opinion: Let public schools focus on their mission – teaching all kids: It seems likely that Superintendent Ryan Walters will expect school districts to collect and report information about the legal status of their students. Any such guidance violates constitutional requirements and would divert schools from their proper mission, which is to serve all kids. Schools should refuse to go along. [David Blatt / Tulsa World]
Health News
Oklahoma research foundation looks to explain increased risk of MS in women: Obesity during female adolescence could lead to increased risk of multiple sclerosis, or MS, later in life according to a study from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. [Oklahoma Voice]
Mpox outbreak is a global health emergency: here’s what Oklahomans need to know: The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a different type of mpox that has broken out in Africa is a public health emergency of international concern. Here’s what Oklahomans need to know about the disease and its spread. [KGOU]
Criminal Justice News
Watonga reeling after officer’s viral use-of-force investigations fracture community: At the heart of the issue are allegations that a police officer mistreated residents while on duty. That officer, Monty Goodwin, is no longer employed by the Watonga Police Department after an internal investigation. [The Oklahoman]
‘Long investigation’: Former Wetumka Mayor Brent McGee arrested for child sexual abuse: Former Wetumka mayor, teacher, coach, business owner and community leader Brent McGee was arrested Wednesday after a two-year investigation into allegations that he committed sexual abuse against students during an education career that spanned three decades. [NonDoc]
Names of fired Broken Arrow police officers revealed following records request: Three letters indicate that Kaitlin Anderson, Jonathan Chisum and Jesse Sandoval were all fired Thursday, Aug. 15. The letters indicate that an internal investigation of the May 23 incident “resulted in the substantiation of the following findings:” Category III misconduct regarding criminal allegations, Category III misconduct regarding serious rule infractions (moral turpitude), Category II misconduct regarding handling of found property. [Tulsa World]
Opinion: Here are ways to prevent the catastrophe at Tulsa County’s Juvenile Bureau from happening again: Oversight and the abilities of the employees have been a critical failure. Policies to ensure that these workers from the Tulsa County Family Center for Juvenile Justice performed their jobs and did not stray into illegal activity were easily ignored. A solution to prevent this catastrophe would be to have a law in place to allow for easier monitoring by watchdog organizations from the state. [Joe Dorman / Tulsa World]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Jams, jellies and jobs: The Oklahoma non-profit preparing vulnerable youth for future careers: In Oklahoma City, vulnerable youth are learning the skills they need for future careers by making and selling jam. [KGOU]
Local Headlines
- OKC gets $2.2 million in federal funds to plan bridge fixes [KOSU]
- As Zink Lake opening nears, city continues to assess water quality [Tulsa World]
- What is the future of professional women’s soccer in Downtown Oklahoma City? [The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“That is a significant error. I’m glad we only hired one and didn’t hire a second new teacher at our new Title I school. It just shows a lack of leadership when this kind of error could be made. I’m not entirely sure these numbers are correct.”
-Bixby Superintendent Rob Miller speaking about last-minute changes in federal funding his district was scheduled to receive. After a months-late release of the federal Title I allocations to schools, the state education department this week revised those amounts downwards. Tulsa area school districts reported ranges of 6-15% reductions, which for Tulsa Public Schools resulted in a $3.65 million cut. [Tulsa World]
Number of the Day
$1.4 billion
Hunger costs Oklahoma over $1.4 billion each year through increased illness and decreased academic achievement alone. [Hunger Free Oklahoma]
Policy Note
A mom struggles to feed her kids after GOP states reject federal funds: In her rural Oklahoma town, Tabitha Shinn calculates down to the penny for groceries for her three teens but still must rely on giveaways from a food pantry.
[Washington Post]
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