By:
Gene Perry
September 13, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019

Funding for Oklahoma schools has fallen dramatically in recent years, with Oklahoma spending $706 less per student in inflation-adjusted dollars than we did in FY 2008. Polls show that Oklahomans are worried about it.
In response to the growing concern,…
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These factsheets provide quick and colorful access to key demographic, economic, and social indicators for each county in Oklahoma. Get important county-level statistics – as well as statewide rankings and comparisons – at a glance. Counties are listed in alphabetical…
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Oklahoma’s economy has performed relatively well over the course of the Great Recession, compared to the nation as a whole. We’ve had lower unemployment numbers and decent income growth. Yet you wouldn’t know it to look at the state of…
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By:
David Blatt
August 22, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
As students head back to school this month, they will encounter an education system facing a crisis in funding. Over the past four years, state support for public schools has been slashed by $220 million, or 11 percent, while school…
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By:
Megan Benn
July 31, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019

A few months ago, Governor Fallin released the results of a survey of businesses from across the state that asked what they viewed as the strengths and weaknesses of doing business in Oklahoma. The results showed clearly that Oklahoma businesses…
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John Thompson is a former Oklahoma historian and inner city teacher who is now an education writer focusing on inner city schools.
In June, the Oklahoma Department of Education hosted the Vision 2020 conference to preview the dramatic changes that…
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The FY 2013 budget negotiated by legislative leaders and Governor Fallin had some encouraging aspects. Overall appropriations increased by $253 million, or 3.8 percent, and there was additional funding for targeted priorities in human services, health care, transportation and public…
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NOTE: This post has been updated to reflect slightly revised numbers in state aid funding for FY 2008 and FY 2012. The text has been corrected to correspond.
The FY 2013 budget agreement announced yesterday provides no increase in state…
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By:
Gene Perry
May 14, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019

It’s no secret that Oklahoma lags behind other states in student achievement. In 2011, Oklahoma fourth graders’ reading scores ranked 40th among all states (plus Washington DC and Department of Defense schools). Among eighth graders, Oklahomans’ reading scores put us…
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What is the best course for strengthening Oklahoma’s economy and providing broad-based benefits for Oklahoma families?
Proponents of cutting or eliminating the state’s personal income tax claim that doing so will boost the state’s economy. However, as University of Oklahoma…
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