Statewide Charter School Board Rescinds St. Isidore Contract
The Statewide Charter School Board is pulling the contract for what would be the nation’s first publicly funded religious school. The move comes after several pushes from the state attorney general.
After the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in June that St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School’s contract was unconstitutional, it ordered the board to rescind it. But despite three more board meetings, St. Isidore’s contract stayed.
After the last meeting, Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a request to the State Supreme Court to force the board to rescind the contract or face contempt charges.
The board voted unanimously Monday to pull the contract, with the caveat it will be reinstated should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn the lower court’s decision.
Drummond said in a statement while it was “appalling” the board took so long, he was pleased with the outcome. Board member and State Superintendent Ryan Walters said in a statement the state court had “chosen the path of liberal extremism and Marxism.”
Oklahoma Rep. Mickey Dollens Defends Ballot Initiative Process in New Book
Oklahoma City Democratic Rep. Mickey Dollens says the ballot initiative process codified in the state constitution is under attack by the Republican supermajority. Dollens has spent the last 9 months writing a book calling Oklahomans to action in its defense. It publishes Thursday.
The book’s title is The Citizen's Guide to Political Change: How to Win With Ballot Initiatives and Defend Direct Democracy.
Dollens says he hopes it will guide and empower voters to take an active role in changing policy at the local and state levels. And do it in a non-partisan way.
“Campaign finance reform. Absolutely. Abortion access? Yes. Open primaries. Yes. It’s all possible through the ballot initiative process," Dollens said.
Ballot Initiatives are also known as State Questions or citizens' petitions. Dollens says they’re a vital check on power anywhere a supermajority exists, and he used a timely example to show why.
State Question 832 would allow Oklahomans to decide whether to raise the state minimum wage to $15/hour. But Dollens says some Republicans in the statehouse have been trying to take such power from Oklahomans for years.
State Question 832, also known as the “Oklahoma Minimum Wage Act” was submitted to the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s Office with more than double the required signatures. It now faces a 10-day protest period.
Oklahoma City Apple Store Workers Authorize Strike Amid Ongoing Contract Negotiations
The Oklahoma City Apple store is prepared to go on strike. This comes ahead of the two year anniversary of its vote to unionize.
Penn Square Mall Apple store workers represented by Communications Workers of America voted to authorize a strike over the weekend.
While this does not guarantee a strike will happen, it shows workers are ready to take action to secure a collective contract.
In a press release, Retail Apple Union CWA member Darren Griffis says Apple has engaged in union-busting tactics and stalled at the bargaining table since the store voted to join CWA in October 2022.
This follows a union-represented Apple store in Maryland securing the first collective contract in the company’s history last month.
A bargaining meeting with the company was scheduled for Monday, and the next meeting is planned for early next month.
Health Care Authority Approves $29 Million Boost in Medicaid Funding for Nursing Facilities
The Oklahoma Health Care Authority Board approved a nearly $29 million increase in state Medicaid funding for regular nursing facilities on Monday.
The board approved this financial bump after the 2024 legislature directed OHCA to appropriate money to improve long-term care provider rates.
It will put over $100 million total in state and federal funds toward providing direct care and other costs in nursing homes.
Seventy percent of the funding supports direct care, which can yield higher reimbursements for facilities if they have more staff.
Mary Brinkley is a licensed nursing home administrator who spoke during public comment at an OHCA meeting last week.
“And in order to maintain quality nursing homes in Oklahoma, those that are staffing more need to be reimbursed to, um, be rewarded for what, the money that they have expended," said Brinkley.
On average, nursing facilities will see about $20 more per resident, per day.
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