Minimum Wage Proposal Set For 2026 Election
A state question to raise the minimum wage will go before Oklahoma voters in 2026.
Voter petitions decide which state questions appear on Oklahoma ballots. But Gov. Kevin Stitt decides when.
And even though the “Raise the Wage” campaign organizers turned in almost double the required signatures for State Question 832, Oklahomans won’t vote on the proposal for almost two years.
In an order submitted to the secretary of state, Stitt calls for the election on June 16, 2026. That’s the same day as statewide primaries.
The question will ask voters to gradually raise the wage to $15 an hour by 2029.
It will also include a provision to increase the minimum wage annually in tandem with the cost of living.
An organizer for Raise the Wage told a Tulsa World reporter her organization is looking for a way to force the election sooner. But it’s unclear if or when that could happen.
State Education Department Revises Social Studies Standards Amid Controversy, Teachers Speak Out on Secretive Process
The Oklahoma State Department of Education is undergoing the process of revising its academic standards for social studies instruction.
Oklahoma City TV station Fox25 received a tip the meeting was taking place at UCO, and the reporting crew was not allowed in.
The state attorney general’s office says the meeting was not subject to the Open Meeting Act.
Committee members, who are teachers, told reporter Tom Ferguson they were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement and were not allowed to take any documents.
"And when they walked into that meeting yesterday, we were told that they were expecting this to be a final review of what they’ve been working on, and then were, as they say, blindsided by this whole new draft set of standards. And so it’s quite surprising for them. One said, quote, ‘I want to throw up'", said Ferguson.
A member told Fox25 the new standards were conservative-aligned.
An OSDE spokesperson did not answer specific questions, but said State Superintendent Ryan Walters is delivering standards “free of woke indoctrination,” and the meeting was a step in an ongoing process to be completed in the coming months.
Oklahoma Non-profit Calls for Hands-On Approach to Address Rising Student Absenteeism
The Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice argues Oklahoma schools need to change the way they deal with repeated student absences.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, schools across the country have seen increased rates of absenteeism.
David Blatt from nonprofit Oklahoma Appleseed Center says this is one reason he and his team wanted to examine what Oklahoma schools do when students miss class.
He says strategic interventions that nurture students’ relationships with teachers and administration should be prioritized.
“If you actually have a more hands-on process of interventions along the way, those will be more effective than to just, you know, bang a gavel and think that, you know, a judge can solve the problem," Blatt said.
Blatt says he hopes policymakers, educators and law enforcement around the state will consider that hands-on process.
Caddo Nation To Heal Lands Impacted By Oil, Gas Wells in Multi-year Project
The Caddo Nation is implementing a multi-year project to start the healing process for its lands impacted by oil and gas wells.
Abandoned oil and gas wells have the potential to contaminate drinking water and emit toxic methane into the air, causing risks to communities. But, a $3.7 million award from the Department of Interior is helping the Caddo Nation remediate land.
Zackeree Kelin is the Vice Chairman of the Caddo Nation Economic Development Authority and a tribal member. He explains that his nation’s strategy for tackling this issue is unique.
“We will actually be the service provider of performing the plugging and the capping and the remediation," said Kelin.
Kelin says this service will extend to other tribal communities and states. But the first step, is assessing areas for unidentified orphan wells. Then, they can begin healing.
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