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.
At an event for the 25th anniversary of House Bill 1017, House Democrats pointed out that the bill’s historic education reforms have been systematically eroded. Steve Lewis has contrasted Oklahoma’s recent education rallies with the movement that pushed through HB 1017. Tulsa teacher Nikki Jones risks losing her job after following through on her vow to not give high-stakes tests to first graders. Jones discussed her decision not to give the tests on her blog. On the OK Policy Blog, we discuss how a House bill threatens tuition assistance for college students who have to work while attending school.
Emails uncovered by EnergyWire reveal that scientists at the Oklahoma Geological Survey have suspected oil and gas activity is causing earthquakes since 2007, but they decided against going public to avoid offending the industry. You can see the emails here. Tulsa County Undersheriff Tim Albin has resigned in the wake of documents released that allege Albin intimidated employees to elevate an unqualified reserve deputy who was a close friend and donor to Sheriff Stanley Glanz. The Tulsa World looked at how affected families are doing 30 years after an Oklahoma facility for children with developmental disabilities was shut down by a class action lawsuit.
Attorneys across Oklahoma will provide free legal advice on Thursday during the 37th annual statewide celebration of Law Day. In debate over a bill to give raises to Oklahoma Supreme Court justices, Rep. Kevin Calvey, R-Oklahoma City, threatened to set himself on fire in front of the court building to protest the court’s overturning of abortion restrictions. Capitol Hill High School students will vote this week on a new mascot to replace Redskins, which the school board voted unanimously to ban because it is offensive to members of the American Indian community.
The Number of the Day is $18.4 million – the total spending by visitors to national parks in Oklahoma in 2014. In today’s Policy Note, Medium discusses what research says about the perfect classroom environment.
In The News
Primary tenets of historic 1990 Oklahoma education bill not being met
Twenty-five years ago, Oklahoma lawmakers passed landmark legislation that funneled resources to public schools. Oklahoma Democratic lawmakers gathered in the House lounge near a birthday cake Monday to observe the anniversary of House Bill 1017 and complain that some of its accomplishments have come undone and some of its goals are not being met.
See also: Education rallies, then and now from the OK Policy Blog
Tulsa teacher follows through on vow to not test first-graders, risks termination
Judgment day has come for a first-grade teacher who made national headlines in the fall for calling out Tulsa Public Schools on the use of high-stakes student surveys and tests. Skelly Elementary School’s Nikki Jones penned a blog on Monday about her final showdown with her superiors over the issue. “In January, they docked me for not giving the test. I got a second chance, and I didn’t give the test Monday, so they could terminate me,” Jones told the Tulsa World after school ended.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
See also: To die alone on the hill… or not from Teach With A Voice.
House bill threatens Oklahoma’s Promise
In today’s economy, a college education is more important for finding a good job and earning a decent income. Yet for children of low- and moderate-income families, the cost of higher education can be a substantial barrier to enrolling in and completing college. Over the past two decades, the Oklahoma’s Promise financial aid program has been the key for thousands of students to get a college degree – but legislation being considered this session could put the program out of reach for many students.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Oklahoma scientists suspected quakes linked to oil 8 years ago
The Oklahoma Geological Survey jolted the national drilling debate last week when it announced oil and gas activity was “very likely” causing the earthquakes plaguing the state. But many scientists at the survey had suspected as much since 2007, when earthquakes rattled an area near an oil and gas operation in southeast Oklahoma City. Survey leaders, though, decided against going public with a theory that might be viewed as hostile to the state’s most prominent industry, according to interviews and agency emails obtained by EnergyWire under Oklahoma’s Open Records Act.
Undersheriff Tim Albin resigns following release of report on Reserve Deputy Robert Bates
Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz announced Monday the resignation of Undersheriff Tim Albin in the wake of documents released that allege Albin intimidated employees to elevate a reserve deputy in the program. “Given the gravity of the current situation … he agreed that maybe it’s time for a change,” Glanz said.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
30 years after the lawsuit that shut down Hissom, families receiving assistance are thriving
The signs that something was not right at the Hissom Memorial Center came pretty quickly for MaryAnn Duncan. She had tried her best to keep from sending the two foster children she cared for to the institution — even adopting one of them — but personal hardships and their disabilities left her with no other option but to turn to the state for help. Hissom, a state-run institution built in 1963 for individuals with developmental disabilities in Sand Springs, was the only option for Duncan and hundreds of others in the Tulsa area.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Oklahoma attorneys offer free legal advice
Attorneys across Oklahoma will provide free legal advice on Thursday during the 37th annual statewide celebration of Law Day. Oklahoma City and Tulsa lawyers will staff the statewide toll-free hotline between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Thursday. Those who speak only Spanish can also call the hotline with legal questions, as Spanish-speaking attorneys and translators will be available to take calls. The toll-free number to call is (800) 456-8525 or email AskALawyer@okbar.org.
Read more from the Muskogee Phoenix.
Oklahoma lawmaker threatens to set himself on fire over abortion issue
Last week, Rep. Kevin Calvey, R-Oklahoma City, got animated during debate on Senate Bill 548, which would provide 6 percent raises, paid from court fees, for Supreme Court justices and other appellate court judges and employees. He loudly said that if he were not a Christian, he would go across the street to the state Supreme Court building, douse himself in gasoline and set himself on fire to “protest the evil in that building.”
In Oklahoma City, Capitol Hill High School students are set to vote on new mascot
Capitol Hill High School students will vote this week on a new mascot to replace Redskins and choose between a nearly extinct wolf or a mythical animal dubbed “king of all creatures.” In December, board members voted unanimously to ban the school’s 88-year-old mascot after some members of the American Indian community said they found the term Redskins offensive and harmful.
Quote of the Day
“The survey is currently dismissing such events as being naturally-occurring. Sooner or later, the media will pick up on the real cause and create a genuine ruckus.”
– Oklahoma Geological Survey interim director Richard Andrews, in an email to a family member last year. An EnergyWire investigation found documents revealing scientists at the survey have suspected oil and gas activity is causing earthquakes since 2007, but they decided against going public to avoid offending the industry (Source)
Number of the Day
$18.4 million
Total spending by visitors to national parks in Oklahoma in 2014.
Source: National Park Service
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
The Perfect Classroom, According to Science
From the first day of kindergarten to high school graduation, children spend almost 12,000 hours inside a school building. As such, it may not be surprising to learn that the physical classroom environment can have profound effects on a student’s academic performance, sense of belonging, and self-esteem. Recently, researchers at the University of Washington and UC Berkeley, led by Sapna Cheryan, combed through scientific literature to find the physical components that mattered the most to students.
You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
