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 Secretary of State Glenn Coffee announced that he is stepping down to pursue an opportunity in the private sector. Gov. Mary Fallin and Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman said the state budget and a possible tax cut hinge largely on whether Congress is able to avert the looming fiscal cliff. Tulsa-area lawmakers said common education will be a priority in the upcoming legislative session, and there likely will be an increase in state aid in the new budget. The lawmakers cited a report showing that per pupil expenditures in Oklahoma public schools have dropped more than 20 percent since 2008.
The okeducationtruths blog examined how poverty affected schools’ ranking on the new A-F report cards. Math, science, social studies and history teachers will infuse their teaching with reading and writing instruction as part of Oklahoma’s move to Common Core Standards in 2014. University of Oklahoma President David Boren said he hopes lawmakers will restore $100 million in funding to higher education, half of what has been cut since 2009.
Gov. Mary Fallin’s decision to reject federal money to expand Oklahoma’s Medicaid program has led a member of the Oklahoma State Board of Health to resign. Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove, wrote that the Governor’s decision ignores the predicament of many hard-working Oklahomans in low wage jobs. The Tulsa World wrote that the debate of the Medicaid expansion in Oklahoma is not over.
Officials with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation refuse to release records that every other law enforcement agency in the state is required to make public. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections is seeking a law to force private prison companies to provide information concerning “a riot, escape or other serious emergency and facility operations upon request of Oklahoma DOC.” In today’s Policy Note, Wonkblog reports that more than half of the states have made decision on whether to join the Medicaid expansion, and twice as many states have said yes than have declined.
In The News
Secretary of State Glenn Coffee plans to resign
Secretary of State Glenn Coffee, a former state senator who has served as Gov. Mary Fallin’s chief budget negotiator since 2010, announced Friday he’s stepping down to pursue an opportunity in the private sector. The first-ever Republican leader of the Oklahoma Senate, Coffee was appointed secretary of state after term limits forced him from his state Senate seat. Coffee, who earns about $90,000 annually as secretary of state, cited the needs of his family as part of the reason he decided to pursue a private-sector job. Coffee said that while he already has a private-sector job lined up, he was not prepared to discuss it publicly until next month. Read more: Durant Daily Democrat – Secretary of State Coffee says he plans to resign.
Read more from the Durant Daily Democrat.
Fallin, legislative leaders renew tax cut talks
A major overhaul of Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation system and revisiting plans to reduce the state’s personal income tax are among the top priorities for legislative leaders when they return to the state Capitol for the 2013 legislative session. But Gov. Mary Fallin and President Pro Tem Brian Bingman say the state budget and a possible tax cut hinge largely on whether Congress is able to avert the looming fiscal cliff and the resulting automatic, government-wide federal spending cuts that are scheduled to take place Jan. 1. Bingman, who consistently advocated for a responsible tax cut last session, said Friday he will assume that same position on tax cuts next year, especially given the uncertainty over federal funding.
Read more from the Muskogee Phoenix.
Legislators at Jenks event say education will be a priority in the next session
Common education will be a priority for the state Legislature in the upcoming session, and there likely will be an increase in state aid in the new budget, several state lawmakers told educators, school board members and parents Friday. Eight lawmakers spoke and answered questions at the 21st annual Legislative Luncheon at the Jenks Public Schools Math and Science Center. “I do think you’re going to see more money. I also firmly believe that money is not the only problem with education today,” said Rep. Weldon Watson, R-Tulsa. The conversation was sparked by the mention of a new report that shows Oklahoma per-pupil funding has seen the third-highest percentage reduction in the country since 2008.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Previously: Oklahoma’s per-pupil spending has plummeted from the OK Policy Blog
District Report Cards: Poverty still matters
Yesterday, with little fanfare, the Oklahoma State Department of Education released district A-F Report Cards. Predictably, most districts fell into the B and C range. You can view district (and school) grades here. The same criteria were used for districts as for the school report cards. Accordingly, the distribution of grades was similar. For the most part, districts with high poverty did worse than districts with low poverty. For the sake of being thorough, though, I spent a few minutes matching the districts to their free and reduced lunch participation rates.
Read more from okeducationtruths.
Common Core State Standards to emphasize reading, writing in all subjects
Reading and writing will no longer be just the domain of English teachers under new national voluntary standards headed to Oklahoma public schools in 2014. Math, science, social studies and history teachers will also infuse their teaching with literacy instruction as part of the move to Common Core State Standards. The Common Core State Standards initiative is a state-led effort to provide curriculum standards that are consistent throughout the country, beginning with English and math. The aim is to ensure all students are subject to the same benchmarks and that children get a deeper and more rigorous education.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
OU President David Boren hopes lawmakers look at funds for higher education
University of Oklahoma President David Boren said Friday he hopes state lawmakers will focus on funding both for higher education and public schools during the coming legislative session in an effort to keep down the cost of tuition and fees. “We’re hoping this may be the year of education at the state Capitol,” Boren told the OU Board of Regents during the regents’ meeting in Oklahoma City. Boren said OU has seen a $125 million decrease in state funding since 2009 as the state has dealt with the effects of a national recession. He said public education has experienced a $200 million reduction during the same time frame. “My hope is that we’ll get about halfway back to where we were in 2009,” Boren told The Associated Press following the meeting. He said any potential increase in tuition and fees, which rose 3 percent for the current academic year, are dependent on state funding.
Read more from the Norman Transcript.
Oklahoma health board member resigns, cites Medicaid
Gov. Mary Fallin’s decision to reject federal money to expand Oklahoma’s Medicaid program has led a member of the Oklahoma State Board of Health to resign. “It’s like federal funds are suddenly dirty,” former board member Glenn Davis said Friday. “Here’s an opportunity to make a major impact, and we refuse it. It just doesn’t make any sense to me.” A dentist from Shawnee, Davis has served on the board since 2010 and was chairman of its public health policy committee. “I will not serve as a ‘rubber stamp’ for the status quo in this political environment,” Davis said in his resignation letter to the governor’s office this week.
Read more from the Enid News and Eagle.
Doug Cox: Politics versus compassion
By now you are well aware that Gov. Mary Fallin has decided that Oklahoma will not participate in expansion of our Medicaid program, which would provide health care insurance for all Oklahomans making less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level. For context, 133 percent of the federal poverty level for a family of four is $30,657. The cost of health insurance for this family of four averages $5,167 a year. It is simply unaffordable. I have no doubt that Gov. Fallin made the right decision from a political standpoint. My emails and calls are overwhelmingly against the so called “Obama Care,” which is officially known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. … But then again, my decision would not have been made based on politics, but rather on the predicament many of my constituents find themselves in.
Read more from the Miami News Record.
See also: Not accepting Medicaid expansion was a mistake from NewsOK
Medicaid expansion is still an issue in state
Gov. Mary Fallin has spoken on the Medicaid expansion issue. But that doesn’t mean the debate is over – far from it. And with good reason. This issue is far from resolved. No doubt Fallin hoped the controversy would go away when she announced Oklahoma will not participate in the Medicaid expansion program called for in the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. But she probably knew better, because so much is at stake here, stakeholders are not going to keep quiet.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
See also: Expanding Medicaid in Oklahoma makes sense from Oklahoma Policy Institute
OSBI continues to decline to release arrest records
Officials with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation refuse to release records every other law enforcement agency in the state is required to make public, claiming a state law exempts them from openness requirements. The agency’s position isn’t sitting well with open government advocates, who said failing to release basic information about incidents and arrests is a fundamental breach of public trust. OSBI general counsel Jimmy Bunn has refused to release records related to the arrest of Jonathan Weaver, 15, who is charged with stabbing Nick Tilley, 16, Nov. 9 outside a Seminole High School football game. Bunn has not said what specific records agents fill out when they make arrests and has not responded to a request by The Oklahoman for blank forms agents fill out or records related to previous arrests made by OSBI agents.
Oklahoma Department of Corrections wants private prison companies to share information
The actions of a private prison company that took months to turn over investigative materials to local agencies after a violent prison riot last year in Sayre could lead to a change in Oklahoma law. Jerry Massie, a spokesman for the state Corrections Department, said the agency will propose an amendment to an existing law dealing with private prison companies during the upcoming legislative session. The change would force private prison companies housing out-of-state inmates in Oklahoma to provide information concerning “a riot, escape or other serious emergency and facility operations upon request of Oklahoma DOC,” agency records show.
Quote of the Day
Most people who would have been affected by the expansion of Medicaid are not deadbeats, but hard-working Oklahomans trying to raise their children and make a better life for themselves. They have lower wage jobs, without employer-provided insurance.
Policy Note
Medicaid expansion scorecard: 17 states say yes, 9 say no
More than half the states have made their decisions on whether to participate in the health law’s Medicaid expansion – the provision aimed at extending health benefits to 17 million Americans. Twice as many states have said yes than have declined, according to Avalere Health, a consulting firm here in Washington. Here’s their map of where states currently stand. Right now, 17 states have said they will participate in the Medicaid expansion, which will extend coverage to everyone whose income falls below 133 percent of the federal poverty line ($14,893 a year for an individual).
You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
