Topic: Education

Amid budget deadlock, a reminder of what’s at stake

By: Gene Perry
May 19, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
At the state Capitol, lawmakers remain deadlocked over how to find enough revenue to avoid crippling budget scenarios. The main barrier appears to be legislative leadership’s refusal to allow a vote on removing huge tax breaks for oil and gas producers. On… Read more [More...]

Bill to expand eligibility for Oklahoma’s Promise scholarships would be a win for all Oklahomans

By: Courtney Cullison
May 8, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The Oklahoma Legislature is close to passing a bill (SB 529) to make Oklahoma’s Promise scholarships available to more students. Available since 1996, these scholarships cover the cost of tuition for in-state students at an Oklahoma public college or university… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma school meals programs bring new strategies to fight child hunger

By: Maggie Den Harder
April 17, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Maggie Den Harder is an intern with Oklahoma Policy Institute and a Masters of Public Administration student at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa. In Oklahoma school meal programs are vital to helping children who are food insecure get reliable access to… Read more [More...]

Arts and Culture: A public-private partnership that’s good for education, the economy, and Oklahoma’s future (Guest Post: Brenda Granger)

By: Guest
April 12, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Brenda Granger is Executive Director of the Oklahoma Museums Association. Today is Oklahoma Arts Day at the State Capitol. Arts and culture promote civility and transcend all boundaries. Arts and culture bring people together. Arts and culture are rooted in… Read more [More...]

SB 81 would break Oklahoma’s obligation to educate all kids

By: Gene Perry
March 30, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Article 13 of Oklahoma’s Constitution begins: “The Legislature shall establish and maintain a system of free public schools wherein all the children of the State may be educated.” That commitment to educate all of the children in our state is prominent in our… Read more [More...]

Legislature’s timid approach to a teacher raise doesn’t bode well for schools (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
March 17, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Steve Lewis served as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1989-1991. He currently practices law in Tulsa and represents clients at the Capitol. I watched the House floor debate on HB 1114 by Rep. Michael Rogers (R-Broken Arrow)… Read more [More...]

For the first time, lawmakers were found guilty of supplanting lottery funds for schools

By: David Blatt
March 15, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Along with all of their other budget challenges, lawmakers this session will need to allocate an additional $10.1 million for the Education Lottery Trust Fund as the result of a determination made last month that lottery funds had been used… Read more [More...]

Using lawsuits to fund our schools: Is it time to try again? (Guest post: Elizabeth Smith)

By: Guest
March 13, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Elizabeth Smith, Ph.D., is the planning director for the Yale National Initiative at the University of Tulsa, a partnership between TU, Tulsa Public Schools, and Yale University to strengthen teaching in Tulsa schools. “The Legislature shall establish and maintain a… Read more [More...]

Increasing breakfast in the classroom participation can help kids learn while strengthening school budgets

By: Maggie Den Harder
March 2, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Maggie Den Harder is an intern with Oklahoma Policy Institute and a Masters of Public Administration student at the University of Oklahoma – Tulsa. Experts agree that a healthy breakfast is crucial for children to grow and learn. However, in… Read more [More...]

Where teacher raises are needed most

By: Gene Perry
March 1, 2017 // Updated: May 2, 2019
If there’s one thing Oklahoma citizens and political leaders of both major parties agree on, it’s that our state’s teachers need a raise. Republican leaders in the House and the Senate both say a teacher raise is at the top of their… Read more [More...]