As a dedicated advocate for Oklahoma’s children and a firm believer in the power of public education, I am compelled to address a growing concern that threatens the very foundation of our educational system. The increasing push to expand school vouchers and tax credits poses significant risks to public schools and the students they serve. […]
State
Boondoggle capital
In Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, cowboy Will Parker returns home and gathers everybody around to tell about the wonders of the “modern world” in the show tune “Kansas City,” singing that, “They went and built a skyscraper seven stories high / About as high as a buildin’ orta grow.” The Territory times are long gone. […]
Court Blocks Superintendent Walters’ Bible Purchase, For Now
The Oklahoma Supreme Court temporarily blocked the state from purchasing Bibles for Oklahoma classrooms. A court order issued Monday bars Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, the Department of Education, the Board of Education and the Office of Management and Enterprise Services from further implementing or enforcing Walters’ Bible mandate until a lawsuit over the […]
Under investigation
While Oklahoma tends to drift toward the very bottom ranking in national education, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters is currently at the top of news headlines regarding two recent investigations launched against him by the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. The commission is often regarded as an organization lacking in resources, but the State Ethics […]
Kendra Horn
Kendra Horn served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she represented Oklahoma’s Fifth District from 2019 to 2021. The Oklahoma native recently took on a new job as president and CEO of the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation, a nonprofit that helps support one of the state’s largest school systems. She recently […]
Same boss
The nation may still be reeling from the last election cycle but the gubernatorial race for the highest office in Oklahoma is already out of the gate. On Jan. 13, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced he’s running for the governorship. Although the first to gain prominence, Drummond is the second candidate to announce their […]
Top 10?
Part slogan, part campaign promise and part road map for his work as governor, the promise to push Oklahoma into the upper rankings of health care, education, economic growth and nearly every other metric was made by Kevin Stitt when he was elected in 2018. “It’s time for Oklahoma to take its rightful place as […]
Pride of OK
This week, lawmakers representing Oklahoma once again garnered national attention with outspoken rhetoric that sheds less than positive light on the state. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, in an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, exchanged tense words with co-host Jake Tapper on several key issues. Sporting a Mullin Ranch jacket on national television, Mullin refuted […]
Religious teachings
Days after being sued by a group of parents objecting to his effort to put a Bible in every Oklahoma classroom, State Superintendent Ryan Walters compared himself to one of America’s greatest historical figures. “Martin Luther King, Jr. … broke the law to advocate for the Civil Rights Movement because, as a Christian, he believed […]
Red wave
Republicans won Oklahoma County races for sheriff, most competitive state legislative seats and even the presidential race, although by a shrinking margin, which provided a sliver of hope for Democrats in the state’s most populous county. Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson, a Republican, won reelection with 58 percent of the vote. He beat Democratic challenger […]
