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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 State Department of Education officials acknowledged that 9,100 students across the state had standardized tests disrupted by the testing vendor’s computer problems last week – more than triple the initial estimates. A bill allowing new state employees to opt into a defined contribution pension plan was approved by the Legislature. More than 100 Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers were at the Capitol on Tuesday asking lawmakers to reconsider a decision not to give them a pay raise.
The OK Policy Blog discussed how Oklahoma lawmakers are back to being more interested in posturing against criminals than considering even the most moderate criminal justice reforms. A consultant hired by Oklahoma to help create a plan for covering people without health insurance has delivered a draft report on its findings to state officials, but officials refuse to release the report. A Journal Record editorial argues that public funding for OETA is necessary and important.
A central Oklahoma transportation official wrote that inadequate public transit is a blemish on Oklahoma City. A proposal by Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas would cut food stamp nutrition assistance by $20 billion over 10 years. The Number of the Day is the percentage of jobs lost in the state’s educational services sector that were held by women. In today’s Policy Note, a study by Demos finds that due to low-paying government contractors, U.S. taxpayers employ more low-wage workers than Wal-Mart and McDonald’s combined.
In The News
Standardized testing problems affect 9,100 Oklahoma students
Oklahoma State Department of Education officials now acknowledge that 9,100 students across the state had standardized tests disrupted by the testing vendor’s computer problems last week – more than triple the initial estimates. Tulsa Public Schools officials also reported Tuesday that with barely a week of school remaining, they have yet to receive the 418 paper tests they need from the testing company to retest most of their 460 students whose tests were invalidated last week. Oklahoma was one of multiple states affected by a rash of technical problems with CTB/McGraw-Hill’s online testing system April 29-30, which caused many students’ tests to be incomplete.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
New pension plan for some Oklahoma state workers heads to Gov. Fallin
New state employees next year whose pensions are administered by the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System would be able to choose between two types of retirement plans if a measure that won final legislative approval Tuesday is signed into law. House Bill 2077 would give employees the option of a defined contribution plan, such as a 401(k) plan, instead of the defined benefit plan, which is a traditional pension. New employees hired after July 1, 2014, would have 90 days to make the decision, which would be final. Current state employees would remain with the defined benefit plan.
Some 100 Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers ask legislators to reconsider a pay raise
More than 100 Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers were at the Capitol on Tuesday asking lawmakers to reconsider a decision not to give them a pay raise. On Thursday, Gov. Mary Fallin and legislative leaders unveiled a $7.1 billion budget agreement for fiscal year 2014 that didn’t include pay raises for troopers or state employees. It did, however, include a $7 million increase for the Legislature for operations and remodeling after the appellate courts moved out of the Capitol to another building. Lawmakers had overwhelmingly approved House Bill 2145 that called for a 16.3 percent increase for troopers at cost of $7.3 million. The measure is in a conference committee.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
The life and death of justice reinvestment
For several days in April, the Tulsa County Jail refused inmates arrested on municipal charges. The drastic measure was taken in response to severe overcrowding. At the height of the crisis, the facility contained 1,968 prisoners, which is over 300 more prisoners than the Tulsa County Sheriff’s office said they could safely hold. The number was brought down significantly after officials worked to streamline processing of offenders and release some of those who posed no risk to public safety. Even so, the jail remains over capacity and vulnerable to any spikes in arrests in the future. It was another sign that Oklahoma’s criminal justice system is near the breaking point.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
Health plan consultant files finding, but report is withheld
A consultant hired by Oklahoma to help create a plan for covering people without health insurance has delivered a draft report on its findings to state officials, but officials refuse to release the report. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority will present some of the consultant’s preliminary findings and recommendations at its board meeting on Thursday, using a PowerPoint slide-show presentation, an Oklahoma Health Care Authority spokeswoman said. That slide show will be released after the meeting; the draft report will not be released at the time. A final version of Utah-based Leavitt Partners’ findings is expected in June.
Read more from Oklahoma Watch.
No sunset for OETA
On Wednesday, an extraordinary thing will happen at the Capitol. Members of the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters, the trade association that represents the state’s commercial television and radio stations, will lobby legislators on behalf of a competitor. The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority is the only state agency with a sunset bill on its horizon. In April 2012, a bill put the network on a two-year cycle, meaning that OETA would be shuttered if not reauthorized next year. Commercial television stations compete against OETA for viewers. Despite that, commercial broadcasters know public television is critical in Oklahoma.
Read more from the Journal Record.
COTPA Trustee: Time to lay groundwork for better OKC public transit
Oklahoma City has become a symbol of success nationally and one of hope for other municipalities in their struggle to overcome high jobless rates and low revenue growth. In the early 1990s, the citizens of Oklahoma City set a course and have never looked back. Citizens’ self-investment through taxation showed the nation that we’re serious about building quality-of-life amenities for the success of future generations. As Oklahoma City continues its resurgence, we look to other world-class cities for inspiration and wisdom. Comprehensive public transportation contrasts Oklahoma City from those very cities we all admire. The startling condition of public transit in Oklahoma City, and the state, is a blemish on the successes we claim.
Oklahoma Congressman proposes $20B cut to food stamps
Third District U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas says his proposal to reduce spending for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by $20 billion over 10 years is the best way to squeeze meaningful savings from the farm bill’s nutrition programs with the least impact on the truly needy. As chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Lucas is catching it from all sides. His proposed farm bill – which begins the “mark up,” or formal writing process, on May 15 – cuts spending by $38 billion over 10 years. Besides the $20 billion from SNAP, it reduces spending by $18 billion on actual farm programs.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Quote of the Day
Only OETA can reach an Oklahoman in the corner of the panhandle to help someone earn a GED diploma, or get to a classroom in Idabel so fifth-graders can take a virtual field trip to Colonial Williamsburg. The programming is important, but it’s not profitable. Just ask The Learning Channel, which is now showing Here Comes Honey Boo Boo to make ends meet. Commercial television stations can’t afford to become the substitute teacher in the state’s electronic classroom.
Number of the Day
84 percent
Percentage of jobs lost in the state’s educational services sector that were held by women – a 5,547 drop in female employment compared to 1,063 for male employment between 2009 and 2011
Source: Oklahoma Employment Security Commission
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Study: U.S. taxpayers employ more low-wage workers than Wal-Mart, McDonald’s combined
Federal taxpayers employ more low-wage workers than Wal-Mart and McDonald’s combined, a new study calculates. The report from the consulting firm Demos, set to be released Wednesday, estimates that taxpayer dollars fund nearly 2 million private-sector jobs that pay $24,000 a year — about $12 an hour — or less. Those workers owe their incomes to government contracts, Medicare and Medicaid spending, and federal infrastructure funds, among other public sources. In contrast, Demos estimates that about 1.4 million workers earn that amount or less at Wal-Mart and McDonald’s, which are two of the largest employers of low-wage workers.
Read more from the Washington Post.
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