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What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In The Know. Click here to subscribe to In The Know.
This Week from OK Policy
Policy Matters: Weak politicians weaponize our differences: For Oklahoma to thrive, we need folks working together to address the enormous problems our state and communities face. Yet, several elected officials continue using divisive tactics rather than seeking to unite us. Instead of bringing Oklahomans together, these leaders are choosing to exploit our differences in their attempt to create political power for themselves and the special interests they’re representing through their efforts. [Shiloh Kantz / Journal Record]
A closer look at emergency rules for Oklahoma’s health information exchange (Capitol Update): It appears that, with the passage of emergency rules by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) board on July 17, the battle over the health information exchange (HIE) in Oklahoma is, at least temporarily, on pause. Those wanting a more expansive opportunity to opt out of the exchange appear to have won the day. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
Upcoming Opportunities
Together Oklahoma will be hosting eight upcoming Listening Sessions, which will offer the opportunity for you to express your ideas and views on policy matters in a collaborative way and give our TOK staff members the chance to hear directly from you. OK Policy research and policy teams will present data from your region and the state and hear directly how it resonates with your personal experiences.
- August 1: Tulsa (Registration is full)
- August 3: Ada
- August 8: Oklahoma City
- August 14: Lawton
- August 15: Okmulgee
- August 17: Ardmore
- August 22: Norman
- July 29: Altus
Each session will be held in person and is free to attend. Refreshments will be provided and pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, visit togetherok.org/events.
Weekly What’s That
Oklahoma’s Promise (OHLAP)
The Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP), also known as Oklahoma’s Promise, is an early commitment financial aid program that covers tuition and other college costs for certain Oklahoma students.
Oklahoma’s Promise is open to students attending public or private high schools or being home-schooled, with family income not to exceed $60,000 at the time of enrollment (income thresholds are higher for families with more than two dependent children). Eligible students must apply to the program no later than the summer after completing the 11thgrade. Students are required to graduate from high school with a 2.5 overall grade point average (GPA) for all four years and a 2.5 GPA on 17 required courses that constitute a college preparatory curriculum.
Eligible students receive a cash scholarship equal to tuition at a public university, which can be used to cover tuition, living expenses, books, and supplies. Students must enroll in a public or private 2- or 4-year Oklahoma college or in a career-technical center; meet the college’s admission requirements, and apply for additional financial aid. Once in college, students must maintain a minimum college GPA and meet other college requirements.
In 2020-21, there were 14,852 scholarship recipients in college. The number of recipients has declined every year since 2010-11, when the program served 20,085 students. However, the number of high school students enrolled in Oklahoma’s Promise increased in 2020 and 2021, the first increase since 2012.
OHLAP is funded from income tax revenues allocated directly to the OHLAP Trust Fund by the State Board of Equalization based on a request from the State Regents for Higher Education. The program received $64.2 million in state funding in FY 2021.
Look up more key terms to understand Oklahoma politics and government here.
Quote of the Week
“It’s horrible what politicians are doing to this country — right, left, you name it. We are one nation and one people. This division, this foolishness? Scripture says: ‘Divided we fall; together we stand.’”
-The Rev. Randy Lewis of All Souls Unitarian Church, who attended a press conference by State School Superintendent Ryan Walters on Friday. During the event, Walters threatened Tulsa Public Schools’ accreditation after a school board member was reprimanded for leading prayer at a high school graduation ceremony. [Tulsa World]
Editorial of the Week
Editorial: Tulsa Public Schools has not violated board member’s religious liberty
The circus brought to Tulsa recently by State Superintendent Ryan Walters attracted bad behavior tinkering on the edge of violence. It’s typical for his traveling culture war crusade.
Nothing about the hastily called July 21 press conference improved education or advanced public discourse. It attracted his supporters and protestors and led to shoving, yelling and loud bullhorns, and even an 82-year-old woman allegedly spitting on others.
The issue is whether Tulsa Public Schools board member E’Lena Ashley was appropriate in going off script at the East Central High School graduation ceremony to give a 20-second Christian prayer.
Superintendent Deborah Gist said she contacted board members before they conferred diplomas about avoiding prayer, citing laws and court precedents. The board members while in that capacity act as government representatives.
At a minimum, Ashley showed poor judgment, and at worst she may have violated the law. She ignored the superintendent’s recommendation and did not consider how those in attendance who do not share her religious beliefs would feel. She used the opportunity to proselytize.
TPS students are among the most diverse in the state. Many religions are legally expressed daily in schools by students, from Christian fellowship groups to classrooms turned into prayer rooms for Muslims.
Constituents complained at public board meetings about Ashley’s prayer, with one student being jeered by Ashley’s supporters in attendance.
TPS board President Stacey Woolley and Gist sent a letter to Ashley admonishing her decision to lead a public prayer in her board role, asking not to do that again. They again included legal citations.
Walters jumped into the middle of this, claiming that Ashley’s religious liberties were violated by the reprimands. Nonsense.
No disciplinary action was taken. No board vote of no confidence has been held. No committee assignments were lost. Her only consequence has been public criticism, something she invited. Ashley is no victim.
TPS students are among the most diverse in the state. Many religions are legally expressed daily in schools by students, from Christian fellowship groups to classrooms turned into prayer rooms for Muslims.
Constituents complained at public board meetings about Ashley’s prayer, with one student being jeered by Ashley’s supporters in attendance.
TPS board President Stacey Woolley and Gist sent a letter to Ashley admonishing her decision to lead a public prayer in her board role, asking not to do that again. They again included legal citations.
Walters jumped into the middle of this, claiming that Ashley’s religious liberties were violated by the reprimands. Nonsense.
No disciplinary action was taken. No board vote of no confidence has been held. No committee assignments were lost. Her only consequence has been public criticism, something she invited. Ashley is no victim.
Numbers of the Day
- 216,797 – Total number of releases from Oklahoma prisons and jails in 2019. There were 9,365 releases from prisons, while releases from jails were 207,432. [Prison Policy Initiative]
- 16 – Oklahoma was one of 16 states that passed tax cuts in each of the last three fiscal years. [Tax Policy Center]
- 1 in 6 – About 615,000 Oklahomans reported having one or more disabilities, which is about 1 in 6 residents. [Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services]
- Wednesday marked the 33rd anniversary of the signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
- 17% – Percentage of Oklahoma students ages 3–21 served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as a percentage of public school enrollment. [National Center for Education Statistics]
- Note: July is Disability Pride Month and is an opportunity to honor the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of the disability community.
- 5% – Percentage increase in housing in Oklahoma from 2010-2020, while the state’s population grew by 5.5% during that same period. [U.S. Census Bureau]
What We’re Reading
- Successful Reentry: Exploring Funding Models to Support Rehabilitation, Reduce Recidivism: Reentry programs are essential for ensuring the successful rehabilitation and reintegration of individuals released from jails and prisons into their communities. Reentry programs provide a range of services, including job training, housing assistance, health care and substance abuse treatment, among others. The effectiveness of reentry programs in reducing recidivism rates continues to be explored with some promising preliminary results. The National Institute of Justice explains, “[w]e don’t have a strong understanding of what works and what doesn’t, and there’s a pressing need for additional research to help us better understand the dynamic process of reentry.” [National Conference of State Legislatures]
- Reviewing Three Years of State Tax Cuts: From the start of calendar year 2021 to today, 48 states and the District of Columbia have cut taxes. This run of state tax cuts resulted from a mix of federal pandemic-related spending, a (previously) booming stock market, a lot of consumer spending, and other aspects of the post-COVID economy. The combination spiked economic growth, turbocharged state tax collections, and gave state policymakers large surpluses to spend on tax cuts. [Tax Policy Center]
- Eight facts about Americans with disabilities: July is Disability Pride Month in the United States, commemorating the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act more than 30 years ago. Overall, there are about 42.5 million Americans with disabilities, making up 13% of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2021. This group includes people with hearing, vision, cognitive, walking, self-care or independent living difficulties. Here are eight facts about Americans with disabilities, based on government data and recent Pew Research Center surveys. [Pew Research Center]
- Former Oklahoman and University of Tulsa alumnus Lex Frieden is considered one of the architects of the Americans With Disabilites Act. Here is an interview with Frieden in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of the ADA.
- Politicians and pundits say parents are furious with schools. Polls say otherwise: Gallup’s poll suggests a divergence between parents’ views of their children’s schools versus the public’s view of the nation’s schools: There was a startling 38-point gap between the two — which had also hit a 20-year record. This and other data suggests that dissatisfaction with American public schools — and the policy changes that have resulted — has not been driven by most parents’ own experience with public schools. [Chalkbeat]
- Why We Need More Public Investment in Home Repairs: Housing deterioration is a serious problem for lower-income households. Home repairs address deep-seated racial and environmental injustices, and substandard housing can be a matter of life and death. [Governing]
