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.
Vanishing oil and gas tax revenues may delay implementation of a cut to Oklahoma’s income tax, because it is not triggered until revenue grows larger than FY 2014. A miscalculation by researchers at the National Council on Teacher Quality ranked Tulsa and Oklahoma City teachers’ lifetime earnings as higher than they actually were. Both cities were already ranked near the bottom in the nation for teacher pay, and the corrected numbers push them down even further. A report from Pew Charitable Trusts ranked Oklahoma 24th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in federal dollars received per capita in fiscal year 2013. You can read the report here.
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt responded to a New York Times investigation that revealed he has participated in a secretive alliance with large energy companies to fight environmental regulations. State corrections officers are ‘freaking out’ over a new push to cut overtime costs at prisons by sending home officers, even though they are already severely understaffed. In a continuing series on mental health and homelessness, the Tulsa World examined the challenges of a father trying to help his son who has been diagnosed with treatment-resistant paranoid schizophrenia. On Dec. 11, the state Department of Human Services will host Tim Knapp, the director of career training and education at The Bowery Mission in New York City, for a free public lecture on providing services to the homeless.
The New York Times examined the controversy over a referee’s error in an Oklahoma high school football game that could be decided by a judge. The Oklahoma City school board voted unanimously to remove “Redskins” as the mascot for Capitol Hill High School. The Jenks school board called for a $120.4 million bond issue election on Feb. 10 that would include building a new elementary school. KGOU shared audio of a presentation by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce’s Diedre Myers on what Oklahoma needs to do to better prepare its citizens to find good jobs.
In the latest religious challenge to the federal health care law, four Christian colleges in Oklahoma that object to covering birth control in their employee health plans argued in federal appeals court that the government has not gone far enough to ensure they don’t have to violate their beliefs. Under current policy, the groups don’t have to cover contraceptives, but they have to tell the government they object on religious grounds in order to get an exemption. The Number of the Day is the percentage of women incarcerated in Oklahoma who experienced childhood physical and/or sexual abuse. In today’s Policy Note, NPR discusses what some schools are doing to convince children to eat healthier school lunches.
Oklahoma income tax cut could be blocked by oil tax revenue declines
In an indirect way, falling oil prices may delay implementation of a law to lower Oklahoma’s income tax. The law requires growth in state revenue, which is provided in part by tax collections that rise and fall with the price of oil. “It’s iffy at best as to whether we will see that growth,” Okla homa Secretary of Finance and Revenue Preston Doerflinger said Thursday in an interview with The Oklahoman.
Corrected report pushes Tulsa even lower in rankings for teachers’ lifetime earnings
In a report released last week, a miscalculation by researchers at the National Council on Teacher Quality ranked Tulsa teachers’ lifetime earnings, adjusted for cost-of-living differences between states, as higher than they actually were. The corrected numbers, which were released Saturday, push Tulsa’s ranking to 109 out of 125, from 102. Oklahoma City’s ranking dropped to 117, rather than 113.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Where does Oklahoma rank: A look at how much federal government money goes to the states
Oklahomans may complain about federal spending, but a report from Pew Charitable Trusts indicates we’re as dependent on it as the rest of the country. In fact, we’re almost exactly as dependent as the rest of the U.S. On a per-capita basis, Oklahoma ranked 24th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in federal dollars received in fiscal year 2013.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Responding to Story, Pruitt Says He’s Fighting Federal Overreach
Responding to a New York Times story, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt said Monday that it should come as no surprise that he was “working diligently with Oklahoma energy companies, the people of Oklahoma and the majority of attorneys general to fight the unlawful overreach of the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies.”
Read more from Oklahoma Watch.
Employee advocate: State correctional officers ‘freaking out’ about cutting guard hours
Administrators from at least one area prison sent officers home last week to save money, according to an organization that represents corrections employees. The decision at Alva’s Bill Johnson Correctional Center was an effort to cut overtime costs, which this year have topped more than $100,000 per month for some state prisons.
Father walks with son through a life of mental illness
Steve Lyons looks around the bare, west Tulsa house and explains to his 43-year-old son that some rules must be followed for him to stay. Lyons bought the house about two months ago out of desperation. His son, Dustin Lyons, has treatment-resistant paranoid schizophrenia and was arrested Aug. 12, while he was homeless, for drug possession.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Upcoming Event: Lecture shares stories of providing services to the homeless
On Dec. 11, the state Department of Human Services will host Tim Knapp for his talk, “Services to the Homeless,” as part of its Practice & Policy lecture series. As the director of career training and education at The Bowery Mission, one of New York City’s oldest missions to the homeless, Mr. Knapp will share his experiences providing services to the homeless in New York City. Attendees are encouraged to bring coats, hats and scarves to donate to the Oklahoma City Homeless Alliance.
Read more from the OK Policy Blog.
After Referees Blunder, Next Call Is a Judge’s
The marquee at the Quik Shop in this rural town says, “Go Pirates Win State.” It seems a reasonable expectation for undefeated and top-ranked Locust Grove High School, considering its star quarterback has thrown 65 touchdown passes this season and only five interceptions.
Read more from The New York Times.
Board Of Education Removes ‘Redskins’ Mascot At OKC School
The Oklahoma City Public Schools District said a unanimous vote by the school board led to the removal of “Redskins” as the mascot for Capitol Hill High School Monday. School officials said they will immediately begin eliminating the use of the mascot and planned to create a committee to identify a new mascot for the school before the end of the spring semester.
Jenks board OKs $120.4 million bond issue vote; new grade school among projects
Jenks will get a fourth elementary school if voters approve a bond issue that is headed to the ballot in February. The Jenks Public Schools board called Monday for a $120.4 million bond issue election on Feb. 10 that would involve building the new school. Nearly 20 years has passed since the district built an elementary school, Jenks officials said.
Read more from the Jenks World.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities Crucial To Primary Education Of Oklahoma’s Future Workforce
The Oklahoma Department of Commerce’s Deputy for Workforce Development Diedre Myers questioned how to best prepare Oklahomans for the surge. “What do our Oklahoma citizens need to do to have successful careers over their lifetime?” she asked. Myers says part of the preparation includes teaching employers to look for candidates with things like critical and analytic thinking skills instead of choosing applicants with specific majors.
Religious nonprofits present arguments in challenge to health-care law
In the latest religious challenge to the federal health care law, faith-based organizations that object to covering birth control in their employee health plans argued in federal appeals court Monday that the government has not gone far enough to ensure they don’t have to violate their beliefs.
Read more from the Tulsa World.
Quote of the Day
“The inmates, they know they can get away from stuff. They can run from us more often than when I started. If you put yourself in our shoes, knowing that there’s maybe one person who can respond if you’re not tied up somewhere else, are you going to go out searching for the crimes and rule violations that the inmates are committing? It’s getting extremely dangerous there and I don’t see the administration locally or down in (Oklahoma City) doing anything to mitigate the risks. We don’t get compensated enough to be put in that much danger and risk.”
-A former Oklahoma corrections officer, speaking anonymously to the Enid News & Eagle. Due to state budget cuts, individual corrections officers have been left responsible for watching more than 200 prisoners, and administrative staff at prisons have been diverted to helping out with security (Source: http://bit.ly/12n86YT)
Number of the Day
66.40%
Percentage of women incarcerated in Oklahoma who experienced childhood physical and/or sexual abuse.
Source: Oklahoma Department of Corrections 2013 Division of Female Offender Operations Annual Report.
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Of Carrots And Kids: Healthy School Lunches That Don’t Get Tossed
You can lead a child to vegetables, but can you make her eat them? A child, for instance, like Salem Tesfaye, a first-grader at Walker-Jones Educational Campus in Washington, D.C. Tesfaye picked up a lunch today that’s full of nutrition: chicken in a whole-wheat wrap, chopped tomatoes and lettuce from local farms, a slice of cantaloupe and milk. But, she confesses, sometimes she throws her lunch out. I ask her what she did today. “I threw all of it away,” she says softly.
You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
