Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

10/15/2026

A new report challenges the claim that private school-choice programs exclude students with disabilities, estimating that students with disabilities account for 15.5% to 17.2% of private-school choice enrollment nationwide, compared with 15% of traditional public-school students.

A new report challenges the claim that private school-choice programs exclude students with disabilities, estimating that students with disabilities…

10/15/2026

Wendy Mallette is an Assistant Professor of Contemporary American Christianities at OU. Mallette teaches “Introduction to Religious Studies,” “Christian Traditions,” and “Q***r Religion.” Mallette’s first book, “Lesbian Feminist Killjoys: Sin, Q***r Negativity and Inherited Guilt,” is coming out next month:

The University of Oklahoma selected a professor’s upcoming book on le***an feminism, 'q***r negativity,' and 'social sin' for its manuscript development program.

10/15/2026

OKC rail plan would add roughly $200 a year to the average resident’s sales tax burden

By Curtis Shelton

The proposed ONE Transit line connecting Edmond, Oklahoma City, and Norman is projected to cost $1.8 billion, which officials propose funding through a one-percentage-point increase in local sales taxes. One Transit officials hope to secure federal funding for half, but no grants have been awarded thus far.

If approved, the combined sales tax rate would rise to 9.25 percent in Edmond, 9.625 percent in Oklahoma City, and 9.75 percent in Norman.

A one percentage point increase may not sound significant, but the cost adds up. Based on Oklahoma Tax Commission data, the annual sales tax burden per resident would increase by an estimated $226 in Edmond, $204 in Oklahoma City, and $182 in Norman. That amounts to roughly a 12 percent increase in the sales tax burden for residents of each city.

That increase comes at a time when households are already dealing with substantially higher prices. Since 2023, prices have increased 11.97 percent due to inflation. Adding another roughly 12 percent to residents’ sales tax burden would compound those higher costs for metro-area families.

And taxpayers would be taking on those additional costs to fund a form of transportation with a track record of exceeding projected costs and falling short of ridership estimates in cities across the country.

10/13/2026

Idaho recently ended public schools’ practice of automatically deducting teachers’ union dues from employees’ paychecks, requiring unions to collect payments directly from members—a reform Oklahoma lawmakers have considered but not enacted.

Idaho recently ended public schools’ practice of automatically deducting teachers’ union dues from employees’ paychecks, requiring unions to collect…

10/13/2026

Experts from several policy organizations told Oklahoma lawmakers on Monday that government regulations and spending policies can contribute to rising costs for housing, higher education, and health care.

Experts from several policy organizations told Oklahoma lawmakers on Monday that government regulations and spending policies can contribute to rising…

10/13/2026

Gallup finds that two in three Americans are dissatisfied with the quality of K-12 education.

Americans' satisfaction with the quality of K-12 education in the U.S. has fallen to 32%, a new low in Gallup's 27-year trend.

10/12/2026

A federal judge has temporarily barred the Oklahoma Council on Judicial Complaints from investigating or recommending discipline against judicial candidates for publicly identifying their political-party affiliation while a First Amendment lawsuit proceeds.

A federal judge has temporarily barred the Oklahoma Council on Judicial Complaints from investigating or recommending discipline against judicial…

10/12/2026

A federal judge has allowed a class-action lawsuit alleging race-based financial aid practices at the University of Oklahoma to proceed.

10/11/2026

“The real decision is whether we want to adopt a non-destructive tax increase and preserve local control, or whether we roll the dice and hope we avoid the worst-case scenario despite having no real plan to prevent it.”

OCPA President Jonathan Small argues Oklahoma County voters should approve a sales tax increase to fund a new jail.

10/10/2026

🚆 Seattle’s rail system started with a 0.3% sales tax. Today, it’s 1.5%—plus other taxes and fees.

Now OKC Metro officials are considering a $1.8 billion commuter rail system funded in part by a new sales tax.

Read more ⬇

Oklahoma City metro-area officials are proposing a $1.8 billion commuter-rail system funded roughly half by federal grants and half by a local sales-tax…