OKPOLICY.ORG
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.
Today you should know that Insure Oklahoma has been granted a one-year extension following negotiations between the Fallin administration and the federal government. Under the agreement, Insure Oklahoma participants earning above the federal poverty level will be moved to new insurance marketplaces where they are eligible for premium tax credits, and co-pays will be reduced for prescription drugs and physician visits.
Hundreds of state Health Department complaint investigation reports reviewed by The Oklahoman reveal numerous problems in county jails, including overcrowding that in some cases leads to violence. State Department of Human Services officials are working to figure out why the number of children in state custody has significantly increased, putting additional strain on the department’s progress to rehabilitate child welfare in Oklahoma. A Tulsa World business columnist discussed Oklahoma’s declining workforce participation rate, and why unemployment statistics don’t tell the whole story.
The chief financial officer for Broken Arrow Public Schools explained why Superintendent Barresi’s proposal to give teachers raised without any new state funding does not add up. The vice president of the Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association explained why merit pay isn’t as easy as it sounds. Oklahoma schools are losing technology assistance due to the state dropping out of the PARCC testing coalition.
The New York Times shared 10 questions with Oklahoma Congressman Tom Cole about why he opposes intervention in Syria and other issues. A Baptist minister is leading a lawsuit against the Ten Commandments monument on the state Capitol grounds. The New York Daily News shared photos of the swarms of crickets that are covering Oklahoma.
The Number of the Day is the amount of funding schools districts will lose in 2013 as a result of the ban on intangible property taxes. In today’s Policy Note, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities announced a new website providing an in-depth guide to the major provisions of the Affordable Care Act.
In The News
Insure Oklahoma granted one-year extension
Calling it a great win for the people of Oklahoma, Gov. Mary Fallin on Friday announced the state successfully has negotiated a one-year extension for a modified version of its Insure Oklahoma program. There will be some significant changes in the part of the Insure Oklahoma program that involves health insurance sold directly to individuals, which currently insures about 13,000 Oklahomans. The current individual plan is available to people who earn up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, but beginning Jan. 1 the program will only be available to workers who make up to 100 percent of the federal poverty level. Those who make between 100 percent and 200 percent of the poverty level will be eligible for tax credits to purchase insurance on the new individual marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act.
Reports show serious problems at Oklahoma’s county jails
Hundreds of state Health Department complaint investigation reports reviewed by The Oklahoman reveal that many county jails face overcrowding that in some cases leads to violence. In other instances, jails run low on the most basic necessities, including toilet paper, shower shoes and jumpsuits. At one jail, women were required to turn in used sanitary napkins before receiving new ones. The reports also show the jails suffer from filthy, dungeonlike conditions, and like state-run prisons struggle with contraband and low employee morale.
DHS looks into growing number of kids in custody
State Department of Human Services officials are working to figure out why the number of children in state custody has significantly increased, putting additional strain on the department’s progress to rehabilitate child welfare in Oklahoma. Deborah Smith, DHS child welfare services director, said her department has a number of theories they are working to prove or disprove so that they can understand what led to a spike in several categories. A few of the leading theories, which could each prove to be part of the problem, include new staff that could be “overreacting” to their cases and the need for the child to be taken from the home, Smith said.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Jobless rate doesn’t tell the whole story
I was at a downtown event after work recently and bumped into an old friend I hadn’t seen in several years. The last time we spoke, he was looking for a job and I’d tried to help with a few leads. Without me asking, he volunteered that nothing had ever turned up and that he essentially had quit looking. I was surprised. My friend is an exceptionally talented and creative person who also has a strong work ethic – just the kind of person companies always say they are looking for. My friend’s situation is becoming increasingly common, economists say. While the nation’s jobless rate has improved significantly since the Great Recession of 2008, what those numbers don’t reflect is how many people have given up on the job market.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Barresi’s plan for raises doesn’t add up
I am not an educator. I am a chief financial officer who has worked in both Texas and Oklahoma. I began my career working as an auditor. I hope these facts help the readers understand my perspective. My thought processes are logical, linear, and my job in the Broken Arrow School District is to make fiscally responsible decisions for the 2,000-plus staff and nearly 18,000 students whom I serve. So as I evaluate Superintendent Janet Barresi’s plan to give every teacher a $2,000 raise, a few alarms are sounding in my financially wired brain.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
No easy answers on teacher pay
An open letter to Wayne Greene, the Tulsa World: I am writing in regard to your column on merit pay for teachers (“What will taxpayers get for their $2,000,” Sept. 1). I currently serve as the vice president of the Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association. When my members came to me, insulted and distraught by what you wrote, I encouraged them to invite you to spend a day in their classrooms. One of my members did exactly that and your very snarky reply to her had the phrase “merit pay” in it three times.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma schools lose technology assistance due to dropping out of PARCC
The announcement last summer to pull out of the PARCC assessment while remaining as a governing state in the consortium was frustrating and confusing. It meant that moving into the first year of testing over the Common Core (2014-15) we have no blueprint for testing. We were told that the SDE would hire a testing company to develop and deploy “PARCC-like items” for the testing cycle that year. All of this was happening in the context of continuing confusion over last year’s testing cycle and the problems with reporting test scores that continue even now. Then comes this into the email inboxes of superintendents, testing coordinators, and technology directors.
Read more from okeducationtruths.
10 Questions for Tom Cole
Representative Tom Cole, a Republican, has brought the pragmatism of a former political operative to his work representing Oklahoma’s Fourth Congressional District. He served as a bridge between the two parties during last year’s fiscal negotiations, when he urged fellow Republicans to accept higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans. He continues to advocate a compromise budget deal to avoid a government shutdown or a debt crisis, and he maintains a good relationship with the White House. But Mr. Cole, whose district includes the massive Tinker Air Force Base, leans strongly against President Obama’s request to authorize military force against Syria.
Read more from the New York Times.
Norman minister: 10 Commandments monument breaches barrier
A Baptist minister might seem like an unlikely opponent to a Ten Commandments monument on the state Capitol grounds. But Bruce Prescott, 61, of Norman says the issue is about separating church and state. “Most of my concern is that this is another in-your-face attempt by misguided Christians to assert their faith in the public square,” he said. Last month, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma filed suit in Oklahoma County District Court on behalf of Prescott, Franklin and two other plaintiffs seeking to have the monument removed.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma under siege from swarms of crickets
Swarms of crickets are terrorizing residents across Oklahoma this summer. Experts say a dry spring and early summer followed by late July and August rainfall created the perfect conditions for a full-blown insect takeover. In Tulsa, residents were growing ill of the swarms of bugs on every street, sidewalk and building. Local Laura O’Malley told Tulsa’s News On 6, “There was crickets, oh my gosh! They were all over the place, all over the ceiling, the walls. Crickets everywhere, I turn around and it was like a nightmare, a horror movie.”
Read more from the New York Daily News.
Quote of the Day
You see, “merit pay” isn’t as easy as it sounds. How does one determine the merit of a teacher? Do we use standardized tests? Not all subjects and grades are tested. Is the kindergarten teacher who wipes tears and soothes fears less deserving than the AP physics teacher? Is the teacher in a self-contained autism classroom able to show on a test what she accomplishes with her students all day? Is the drama teacher who spends hours away from her own children and empties her own house to stage a play with no budget any less deserving than the calculus teacher?
-Patti Ferguson-Palmer, vice president of the Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association (Source: http://bit.ly/18IJS8s)
Number of the Day
$30.8 million
Amount of funding schools districts will lose in 2013 as a result of the ban on intangible property taxes, which primarily benefits telecommunications companies and electric companies.
Source: Oklahoma Policy Institute
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
New website provides an in-depth guide to major health reform provisions
Millions of Americans will gain access to quality, affordable health coverage in 2014 under health reform. Since they’ll begin enrolling in coverage through the new health insurance marketplaces on October 1, the Center has created an online resource for the people working on the front lines to help consumers access the new coverage options. A new Center website — Health Reform Beyond the Basics, at healthreformbeyondthebasics.org — houses the materials produced for the “Beyond the Basics of Health Reform” series of webinars hosted by Center health experts.
Read more from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
