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In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Click here to subscribe to In The Know and see past editions.
Today In The News
Gov. Fallin defies Supreme Court ruling on Ten Commandments monument: Fallin said the Ten Commandments monument will stay at the Capitol despite a court ruling that said it violated the state Constitution and must be removed. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt has asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court to reconsider its 7-2 decision, and lawmakers have filed legislation to create a State Question on removing the portion of the state Constitution cited in the ruling [Tulsa World].
House Democrat argues for bipartisan redistricting: Rep. James Lockhart said he intends to push legislation next year to create a bipartisan commission for determining legislative districts after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a similar plan in Arizona last week. He introduced the measure as House Joint Resolution 1008 in the 2015 session but it was not given a hearing [CapitolBeatOK].
Oklahoma sees sharp increase in deadly shootings by police: Oklahoma City in the last few days bring to 21 the number of fatal shootings by law enforcement so far this year in Oklahoma, putting the state on pace to easily eclipse its previous high since such records started being kept [KRMG].
Stillwater adopts new oil and gas zoning: After gathering input from residents who pushed for the largest setbacks they could get and stringent noise control requirements and from industry representatives who complained the city was regulating activities it didn’t understand and applying unrealistic standards, the council enacted new zoning ordinances Monday [Stillwater News-Press].
Oklahoma City Public schools welcome teacher recruits from Puerto Rico: The district’s Human Resources recruiting team traveled to Puerto Rico to recruit 14 bilingual teachers. Forty-eight percent of the district’s 46,000 students are Hispanic and about 47 percent speak Spanish at home [NewsOn6].
Professional licensing boards could be violating anti-trust rules: Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt has written a letter warning that hundreds of Oklahoma boards and commissions are at increased risk of being sued under federal antitrust laws because they are made up mostly of members of the professions they regulate [NewsOK].
Class-action lawsuit challenges Indian Child Welfare Act: Although the lawsuit was filed in Arizona federal court, it has important implications for other states, including Oklahoma, where about 30 percent of the children in state care have some American Indian ancestry and are subject to provisions of the act [NewsOK].
Quote of the Day
“Obviously teacher pay is not where it should be in Oklahoma. And when you’re talking about not being able to give someone an increase for the work that they do, you have to find other ways to make the job worthwhile.”
-Locust Grove Public Schools superintendent Lori Helton, explaining why the district is moving to a four-day school week next year (Source).
Number of the Day
7.9 percent
Percent of Oklahomans age 25 years and older who have completed an advanced degree, 2012.
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
What cities need to close the skills gap for ‘smart jobs’: Many of the metro areas faring best at attracting advanced industry jobs tend to benefit from higher educational attainment and the presence of a top university science program. Since 2010, the advanced sector’s employment and output growth rates have been double those of the rest of the economy [Governing].
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