Oklahoma teachers’ real take home pay has shrunk for 10 out of the past 11 years

Most of the discussion on teacher pay in Oklahoma compared to other states has focused on the total compensation of teachers, since that’s what is typically used when making comparisons across states. As we recently discussed in our comparison of… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma has many good options to resolve the teacher walkout

The Oklahoma Education Association last week called on the Legislature to support an ambitious proposal to increase funding for public education and state services. The association, which represents nearly 40,000 teachers and school employees across the state, warned that “If… Read more [More...]

As Oklahoma teachers plan to follow West Virginia in walkout, they confront a funding crisis that’s much worse

For nine days, teachers in West Virginia went on strike to protest their low pay and benefits. The strike began when West Virginia Governor Jim Justice signed a bill that would give teachers just a 2 percent raise in the… Read more [More...]

More Oklahoma children could be eating breakfast. This new report outlines how.

The cliché exists for a reason: breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Its benefits are well-documented, especially for children. However, 1 in 5 Oklahoma children may not have consistent access to breakfast, jeopardizing their growth and… Read more [More...]

‘This is not OK’: Cuts are hitting all aspects of public education

Miami Public Schools in Ottawa County serves about 2,500 K-12 students in seven schools. This year, four school librarian positions were eliminated, leaving the district without a single librarian. In Newkirk, there is no librarian and no speech or drama… Read more [More...]

‘This is not OK’ Infographic

Read the related blog post here.… Read more [More...]

Bill Watch: Teacher pay and charter school oversight top the education agenda for this year’s Legislature

This post is the last in a series highlighting key bills in several issues areas that we’re following. Previous posts looked at legislation affecting economic opportunity for Oklahoma families, legislation to reform our criminal justice system, and legislation affecting Oklahomans’ access… Read more [More...]

Lunch shaming is real – but we can end it (Guest Post: Effie Craven)

Effie Craven is the State Advocacy and Public Policy Director for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma Imagine you are a child waiting in the school lunch line with your friends.  You laugh and joke as you move through the… Read more [More...]

Our top priorities in Oklahoma’s 2018 legislative session

With the 2018 legislative session fast approaching, today we released OK Policy’s top policy priorities for the coming year. OK Policy is committed to supporting fair and adequate funding of public services and expanded economic opportunity for all Oklahomans through… Read more [More...]

2018 Legislative Policy Priorities

Download this fact sheet as a PDF. OK Policy is committed to supporting fair and adequate funding of public services and expanded economic opportunity for all Oklahomans through research and advocacy. During the 2018 legislative session, we will work to… Read more [More...]