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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.
Today you should know that the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that state corrections officials have been violating the Oklahoma Constitution by retroactively applying state sex offender registry laws. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against an Oklahoma Cherokee man seeking to prevent his daughter’s adoption by a non-Cherokee couple, but the court left the girl’s fate unresolved. The Oklahoma Education Association is calling for Oklahoma standardized testing results to be invalidated because of disruptions by the testing company, McGraw-Hill.
The New Hope program is helping children of prisoners in Oklahoma to make it through school. The Oklahoman editorial board wrote that Oklahoma should not penalize students whose parents brought them into the United States illegally. A Georgetown University study shows Oklahoma could be on pace to see companies leave the state because of a lack of qualified workers with education beyond high school. You can read the full report here. Tulsa Public Schools has saved more than $8 million through energy conservation efforts.
The Number of the Day is the projected number of uninsured Oklahomans in 2016 if the state continues to reject federal money to expand Medicaid. In today’s Policy Note, the Center for American Progress discusses why the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down parts of the Voting Rights Act demonstrates why we need a federal right to vote.
In The News
Oklahoma Supreme Court rules officials violated Constitution by retroactively applying sex offender registry laws
Hundreds of names of convicted sex offenders may be removed from the state’s list of registered sex offenders as the result of an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling handed down Tuesday. In a split decision, the court ruled state corrections officials have been violating the Oklahoma Constitution by retroactively applying state sex offender registry laws, thereby dramatically increasing the time many convicted sex offenders must spend on the registry. “It should be fairly significant,” Corrections Department spokesman Jerry Massie said of the impact of Tuesday’s ruling. There are currently 7,704 names on Oklahoma’s sex offenders list, Massie said.
Supreme Court gives split decision in Cherokee adoption case
Tuesday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision left much unresolved in the ‘‘Baby Veronica’’ saga, including ultimate custody of the now 3 ½-year-old biological daughter of Oklahoman Dusten Brown. For the time being, Veronica will stay with Brown and his family near Nowata, despite Tuesday’s 5-4 Supreme Court decision largely favoring the South Carolina couple attempting to adopt the child. Veronica spent the first 27 months of her life with them until a 2011 South Carolina Supreme Court ruling that Brown still had parental rights to the child under the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act. Brown is a Cherokee citizen. But while the high court said the South Carolina decision was in error, it did not specifically award custody to the South Carolina couple, Matt and Melanie Capobianco.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
OEA calls for standardized testing results to be invalidated
There’s a call for standardized testing results to be thrown out for students across the state. A glitch in the tests created chaos at the end of the school year, now the Oklahoma Education Association wants the results invalidated. It was back in April when the apparent online glitch disrupted the high-stakes tests. Now, one of the biggest concerns is the validity of the test results. Those results are used to factor everything from teacher pay, to school funding. In a 14 page report, OEA points to McGraw-Hill, accusing the testing company of being grossly deficient in its ability to, “meet the needs of Oklahoma schools and students.” The report includes statements detailing the extent of the damage caused by the company.
New Hope program offers support for children of prisoners
For four years, Armonn Dean woke at 5 a.m. for a mile walk to the city bus stop, changed routes downtown and arrived in time for first hour at Booker T. Washington High School. Every paper was written on a public library or school computer. He kept to himself at school, not talking about his father’s incarceration in New York. In May, he graduated – a rare accomplishment in his family. “It’s monumental, especially for me,” Dean said. “I don’t think there is anything I can’t do now. It’s big since it’s hard to do in my family with the struggles we have.” Dean didn’t do it alone. He leaned on the nonprofit New Hope, which offers after-school, summer and weekend retreats to children of prisoners.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
NewsOK: Oklahoma should do the right thing by helping undocumented students
Oklahoma got it right so many years ago when lawmakers embraced the idea that young people whose parents brought them into the United States illegally shouldn’t bear the legal or financial burden of that decision. Unfortunately, such vision and open-mindedness has dwindled over the years. The law that allowed such students to attend college at in-state tuition rates and get state-funded scholarships has been scaled back and is far less friendly to undocumented students pursuing higher education. We remain hopeful the tide will someday shift again in favor of opportunity.
Oklahoma could see lack of skilled workers by 2020, report shows
If the state continues on its current path, Oklahoma could be on pace to see companies begin to leave the state because of a lack of qualified workers, a Georgetown University economist said Tuesday. A new study from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce shows educational institutions in Oklahoma and nationwide aren’t producing enough graduates to keep up with industry demand. By 2020, 64 percent of jobs in the state will require some form of education beyond high school, according to the report. But according to a 2013 report from the nonprofit Lumina Foundation, only about 57 percent of Oklahomans have any education beyond high school.
See also: The full report from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce
Energy conservation saves TPS more than $8 million in utility costs
Three years into an energy conservation initiative, Tulsa Public Schools has already tripled its projected savings in utility costs. The school district’s energy conservation consulting firm, Cenergistic, just recognized TPS with its highest award for excellence for saving more than $8.67 million in utility costs – and far surpassing the $2.8 million it was projected to save by this juncture. TPS has three full-time energy specialists who work year-round to save the district money on its utility bills by checking everything from thermostat levels and lights left on, to indications of major water leaks.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Quote of the Day
It makes little sense to support these students through the common education system, only to either shut the door to higher education or make it so difficult to open that many give up. Oklahoma needs more highly educated citizens. And make no mistake, many of these students are Oklahomans, raised here from a young age.
-The Oklahoma Editorial Board, writing that young people whose parents brought them into the United States illegally shouldn’t be penalized (Source: http://bit.ly/14XgYBR).
Number of the Day
515,000
Projected number of uninsured Oklahomans in 2016 if the state continues to reject federal money to expand Medicaid, versus 331,000 if the state accepts Medicaid expansion
Source: Health Affairs via Oklahoma Policy Institute
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Creating a federal right to vote
Today the Supreme Court struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, a vital piece of legislation that was widely hailed as the nation’s most effective civil rights law. In a 5–4 decision, the High Court gutted a law that was renewed by Congress just seven years ago, and has protected voters from—among other acts of discrimination—purposeful vote dilution, overly restrictive voting procedures, and voter intimidation. The Court’s decision is clearly a blow for voting rights, but it also serves as a wake-up call for Americans to become educated about the lack of protections in place to combat voting discrimination.
Read more from the Center for American Progress.
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