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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.
Oklahoma leads the nation for the second straight year in the percentage of per-student spending cuts, according to a new report. The Governor’s Coordinating Council on Seismic Activity held its first meeting earlier this month, but the council can’t write rules, it has no formal responsibilities or authority and it is not planning on preparing a report or making any policy recommendations.
OK Policy wrote about how the state’s judges are chosen, what’s at stake in the elections, and how you can learn about the candidates. The blood lead levels of children living in Ottawa County and the Tar Creek Superfund cleanup site have been falling since 1997.
The Oklahoman Editorial Board argued that the state was right to continue to postpone pending executions. The large gap between educational attainment and workforce needs continues to grow in Oklahoma; only two in ten high school graduates earn a post-secondary certificate or degree.
The Number of the Day is the percentage of Oklahoma’s elementary school teachers who are women. In today’s Policy Note, a new study has found that the number of emergency room visits falls dramatically within a year when low-income adults are enrolled in public health coverage.
In The News
Oklahoma has cut per-pupil spending by nation-high 23.6 percent since 2008, according to report
Oklahoma once again leads the nation in the percentage of per-student spending cuts, according to a new report. Local school district officials called the cuts “disappointing” and “disturbing.” Since the recession began in 2008, Oklahoma has sliced funding per student in kindergarten through 12th grade by 23.6 percent, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a policy research organization based in Washington, D.C.
Rumbles of New Scrutiny as Quakes Continue to Surge in Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s earthquake surge and possible links to oil and gas activity have been studied in scientific papers, discussed at heated town-hall meetings and explored regulatory hearings. The quakes are now triggering some rumblings at the state Capitol.
Read more from StateImpact Oklahoma
Judges on the Ballot in Oklahoma: What you need to know
Oklahoma is one of 39 states where voters have a role in selecting judges. On November 4, nine appellate court justices will appear on the statewide ballot for retention. Voters in many parts of the state will also be asked to select district and associate district judges in nonpartisan, competitive elections. Judicial elections usually don’t attract as much publicity as other races, so we’re taking a look at how judges are chosen, what’s at stake in the elections, and how you can learn about the candidates.
Read more from Oklahoma Policy Institute
EPA: Blood Lead Levels in Kids Greatly Reduced
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its Oklahoma counterparts say that since 1997, the blood lead levels of children living in Ottawa County and the Tar Creek Superfund cleanup site have drastically declined. Children in those areas of northeastern Oklahoma had historically been exposed to high levels of lead from former mining operations, especially around the Tar Creek Superfund site.
Read more from Public Radio Tulsa
State right to seek delay in pending Oklahoma executions
The state attorney general’s office did the right thing in requesting that Oklahoma hold off on any executions. The governor and head of the Department of Corrections are to be commended for agreeing. In a filing late last week, the AG’s office asked the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to push back, by 60 days, the executions of Charles Frederick Warner and Richard Eugene Glossip. Both men were scheduled to be put to death in November.
Oklahoma’s education-workforce needs gap continues, state regents told
Oklahoma continues to face a large gap between educational attainment and workforce needs, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education were told Wednesday. Only two in 10 high school graduates earn a post-secondary certificate or degree, while available jobs require more than three times that many, Tony Hutchison noted in a report to the board.
Quote of the Day
“Public schools serve all students, no matter where they came from or what their background is. Statewide, there are more and more students and more and more needs, and yet Oklahoma continues to fall behind when it comes to the funding of public education.”
Fred Rhodes, Putnam City Schools Superintendent
Number of the Day
87 percent
Percentage of Oklahoma’s public elementary school teachers who are women.
Source: National Education Association
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
UCLA study offers hope on emergency room crowding
New UCLA study has found that while people enrolled in low-cost, government-run health plans visit emergency rooms at high rates soon after becoming insured, the number falls dramatically within a year. That’s good news, said study author and UCLA professor Dr. Gerald Kominski, because patients’ long-neglected health problems are being “addressed during the first year, and because of that there’s a drop-off.”
Read more from Los Angeles Times
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