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In The Know is a daily synopsis of Oklahoma policy-related news and blogs. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
An internal audit by Oklahoma City Public Schools shows a huge racial disparity in the rates of students being suspended from school. Twelve OKC elementary schools suspended more than 40 percent of their black students in 2011-2012. The Oklahoma Department of Education asked a testing vendor to deactivate a program that gave students immediate proficiency level scores, over concern about its demoralizing effect on students. The Oklahoma City Council called on the Legislature to head off further budget cuts at the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics.
OK Policy is now accepting applications for paid part-time or full-time summer interns. KJRH looked at the debate over whether Oklahoma should cancel or delay a planned tax cut when we’re looking at a $600 million budget shortfall. An online form to contact your legislators about the tax cut is available here. Oklahoma was second in the nation for job losses last month, behind only Texas. The Legislature has sent to Governor Fallin two proposals that would develop a system for evaluating tax breaks to determine their effectiveness.
The Oklahoma Geological Survey reported that it believes the majority of the earthquakes in central and north central Oklahoma have been triggered by wastewater disposal wells used in oil and gas exploration. Governor Fallin announced the launch of earthquakes.ok.gov, a website for sharing research, regulations, updates and news items related to Oklahoma’s recent earthquakes. Rep. Cory Williams, D-Stillwater, called for a moratorium on wastewater disposal wells in 16 counties experiencing the earthquake swarm.
More than two dozen people spoke before an overflow crowd in Stillwater on Monday as the city council considered whether to restrict oil and natural gas drilling in and near the city limits. The Legislature is considering bills that would take away cities’ rights to regulate drilling. The Wall Street Journal reported that a string of oil-field worker deaths, including one in Oklahoma, may be caused by asphyxiation or heart failure from inhaling hydrocarbon chemicals. A bill being considered in the Legislature has split Oklahoma’s small oil and gas producers from the larger operators in the state, with some alleging it would give large operators the right to steal oil.
The Oklahoma House defeated a resolution that would have added Oklahoma to the list of states petitioning Congress for a convention to alter the U.S. Constitution. Critics of the constitutional convention effort have warned that it could make radical changes to the Constitution and the outcome can neither be known nor controlled. The Oklahoma Senate approved legislation that would limit access by the public and media to audio and video recordings from law enforcement body cams or dash cams. Gov. Mary Fallin signed a bill giving terminally ill patients access to certain medications that have not received full FDA approval.
Tulsa World columnist Ginnie Graham debunked eight myths about the food stamp program. Bobby Lorton, the former publisher of Tulsa World, announced plans for the May launch of a new media company in Tulsa. Attorney Chad Moody with “TheDrugLawyer.com” projected a giant marijuana leaf onto the state Capitol building Monday night to protest the state’s stand on the legalization of marijuana.
The Number of the Day is 49.6% – the percentage of the population of Cherokee County who identified as white and non-Hispanic in 2013, down from 55.2 percent in 2000. Cherokee County was one of two Oklahoma counties that became majority non-white since 2000. In today’s Policy Note, Stateline shares a Q&A on how the Great Recession has affected children.
In The News
District Audit Details Racial Discrepancy in OKC Schools Suspensions
With two months still left in the school year, administrators at Taft Middle School in Oklahoma City have already suspended more than half of their black students. At Capitol Hill High School, the average length of a suspension is nearly 12 days, or more than two weeks of missed class time. These and other findings are part of an internal audit, obtained by Oklahoma Watch Monday, that was conducted by Oklahoma City Public Schools.
Read more from Oklahoma Watch.
See also: High Suspension Rates of Black Oklahoma City Students Starts In Elementary School from Oklahoma Watch
Oklahoma school testing: ‘Demoralizing’ test score brackets won’t be displayed to younger students
A scoring issue on statewide testing that caused some concern among parents and school officials because of its demoralizing effect on students was resolved Monday. The Oklahoma State Department of Education asked new testing vendor Measured Progress to deactivate the program that gave students immediate proficiency level scores. This year, along with their numerical scores, students taking tests on computers were given an immediate classification of “advanced,” “proficient,” “limited knowledge” or “unsatisfactory.”
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Science, mathematics school deserves state support, council says
The Oklahoma City Council on Tuesday called on the Legislature to head off further budget cuts at the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics. Located near the Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in northeast Oklahoma City, the school enrolls 144 high school students from throughout Oklahoma. Open to juniors and seniors, it offers a rigorous curriculum centered on science, engineering and mathematics.
Are you our next summer intern?
We are pleased to offer two exciting opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students interested in Oklahoma public policy. We are now accepting student applicants for a paid, part-time or full-time internship during the summer of 2015. Interns will be expected to work between 15 and 40 hours per week, depending on their schedules and availability. The position will be based in our Tulsa office, with occasional opportunities to work from home or school.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Debate grows over 2016 income tax cut amid $600 million budget shortfall
As the state faces an estimated $600 million shortfall, the debate grows about an income tax cut set to take effect in 2016. On one side of the debate, you’ll find the Oklahoma Policy Institute . “it just doesn’t make sense to move ahead with a tax cut that wasn’t supposed to take effect under these kinds of conditions,” said David Blatt, the institute’s executive director. Of 500 registered voters polled by OK Policy , most agree with Blatt. Sixty percent say they’re in favor of delaying or squashing the cut altogether.
See also: Action Alert: Halt the tax cut from Together Oklahoma
Oklahoma second in nation for job losses last month
Employers in 31 U.S. states cut jobs last month as weak economic growth weighed on hiring and a slowdown in oil and gas drilling caused big job losses in some states. The biggest job cuts occurred in states with large oil and gas drilling, led by Texas, which lost 25,400 jobs, and followed by Oklahoma, which cut 12,900. Pennsylvania lost 12,700, the third largest loss.
Tax credit reform proposals advance to governor’s desk
The Senate and House on Tuesday gave final approval to two proposals that would develop a system for evaluating tax credits and economic incentives to determine their effectiveness. Authored by Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman and House Speaker Jeff Hickman, Senate Bill 806 requires that any economic incentive include a measurable goal or goals when enacted. House Bill 2182 will provide legislators with independent data on economic incentives, including estimated fiscal impacts and assessments of whether incentives are achieving their goals.
Read more from the Norman Transcript.
State seismologist says earthquakes likely triggered by disposal well injections
The Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS) has come out with news that many have suspected for years. It believes the majority of the earthquakes in central and north central Oklahoma have been triggered by waste-water disposal wells used in oil and gas exploration. It’s the closest the state has come to directly linking Earthquakes to oil and gas production.
See also: Governor Fallin announces launch of earthquakes.ok.gov from Grand Lake News
Dozens weigh in on Stillwater proposal to ban oil and natural gas drilling in city
More than two dozen people spoke before an overflow crowd in Stillwater on Monday as the city council considered whether to restrict oil and natural gas drilling in and near the city limits. After nearly two hours of public comment, councilors asked city staff to present a draft ordinance for a vote at the next meeting, scheduled for May 18. Speakers included environmentalists, oil producers, students, professors, royalty owners and community members.
See also: Legislator calls for disposal well moratorium from NewsOK
Why did these oil workers die?
The deaths of Trent Vigus and at least nine other oil-field workers over the past five years had haunting similarities. Each worker was doing a job that involved climbing on top of a catwalk strung between rows of storage tanks and opening a hatch. There were no known witnesses to any of the men’s deaths. Their bodies were all found lying on top of or near the tanks. Medical examiners generally attributed the workers’ deaths primarily or entirely to natural causes, often heart failure. But in the past few months, there has been a shift.
Read more from the Wall Street Journal.
Vote coming next week on controversial horizontal oil drilling bill
A bill that has split Oklahoma’s small oil and gas producers from the larger operators in the state will likely be handled in the State House of Representatives on Monday or Tuesday of next week. House Bill 2177, known as the Extended Lateral Horizontal Well Development Act caused a rift between the operators with some even alleging it would give large operators the right to steal oil.
Read more from OK Energy Today.
Oklahoma House defeats US constitutional convention measure
The state House defeated a resolution Tuesday that would have added Oklahoma to the list of states petitioning Congress for a convention to alter the U.S. Constitution. Senate Joint Resolution 4, which failed 42-56, was intended to have the state participate in a convention that may propose “amendments to the United States Constitution that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the term of office for its officials and members of Congress.”
See also: The con-con con from the OK Policy Blog
Oklahoma Senate supports limiting access to police videos
The Oklahoma Senate has approved Open Records Act legislation that would limit access by the public and media to audio and video recordings obtained from equipment attached to a law enforcement officer or vehicle. The Senate voted 46-0 for the House-passed bill Tuesday and sent it to a joint House-Senate conference committee for more work.
Gov. Fallin signs Right to Try bill to benefit terminally ill patients
Gov. Mary Fallin on Tuesday signed a measure giving terminally ill patients access to certain medications that have not received full FDA approval. House Bill 1074, by Rep. Richard Morrissette, D-Oklahoma City, and Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, is called the Right to Try Act. The measure would apply to “investigational” medications, biological products or devices — those that have completed U.S. Food and Drug Administration phase one safety testing and remain under an approved investigation.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Ginnie Graham: Food stamp challenge shouldn’t be a trendy cause
Gwyneth Paltrow could probably live on seven limes, lettuce and some rice and beans for a week. Then, it’s back to her organic hipster reality of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. She didn’t make it, though. After four days, the actress admitted defeat in the food stamp challenge and grabbed for some chicken. Yet, it’s not quite an accurate picture.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
A new frontier for Tulsa media
Yesterday was an exciting day for Tulsa. Two reporters from Tulsa World, Ziva Branstetter and Cary Aspinwall, were named as Pulitzer finalists for their impressive reporting on Oklahoma’s execution fiasco. Then they, along with two other reporters, resigned from Tulsa World. Soon thereafter, Bobby Lorton, the former publisher of Tulsa World, announced plans for the May launch of a new media company in Tulsa.
Read more from This Land Press.
Picture of marijuana leaf projected onto OK State Capitol building
There was an unusual scene Monday night at the State Capitol as a picture of a marijuana leaf was projected onto the building. News 9 got several calls about this into our newsroom from people who couldn’t believe what they were seeing. The marijuana leaf was being projected by Attorney Chad Moody with “TheDrugLawyer.com.” It turns out Monday night’s event was a publicity stunt.
Quote of the Day
“I am calling for a cease and desist of all saltwater disposal wells in those 16 counties. The governor and Legislature have said all along they were waiting for the science to come in. It’s been in for a long time, and now we’re having state-sponsored science come in. It’s time to act.”
-Rep. Cory Williams, D-Stillwater, calling for a moratorium on oil and gas wastewater disposal wells in parts of the state after the Oklahoma Geological Survey linked the wells to the state’s ongoing earthquake swarm (Source).
Number of the Day
49.6%
Percent of the population of Cherokee County who identified as white and non-Hispanic in 2013, down from 55.2 percent in 2000. Cherokee County was one of two Oklahoma counties that became majority non-white since 2000.
Source: Pew Research Center
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Q&A: How the Great Recession affected children
Five years after the Great Recession ended, many Americans are still reeling from its effects. Perhaps no group was harmed more by the downturn than children. In most ways, children are worse off than they were in 2007, the beginning of the economic contraction. As of 2013, for example, 14.7 million children were living in poverty, compared to 12.8 million at the start of the recession.
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