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"It’s going to hurt public safety. It’s going to hurt our schools, and it’ll hurt public health and libraries. The biggest winners from this measure are going to be our wealthiest, largest property owners."
- Sen. Julia Kirt (Oklahoma City) expressing concern over Senate Joint Resolution 39, which puts a question on the ballot asking voters whether to lower the state’s current property tax caps. If passed, Kirt and other lawmakers are worry the tax reduction could disrupt current bonds, impacting cities and school districts. [KOCO]
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Plyler v. Doe
Plyler v. Doe is a landmark 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that established that all children in the United States have an equal right to enroll and participate in public elementary and secondary schools without regard to their or their parents’ or guardians’ immigration status. The court’s decision overturned a Texas law allowing local school districts to deny enrollment to students who were not legally admitted to the United States.
Writing for the majority, Justice William Brennan stated: “By denying these children a basic education, we deny them the ability to live within the structure of our civic institutions, and foreclose any realistic possibility that they will contribute in even the smallest way to the progress of our Nation.”
Plyler v. Doe remains the law of the land, and subsequent federal guidance has made clear that under both federal civil rights laws and the mandates of the Supreme Court, “[school] districts may not request information with the purpose or result of denying access to public schools on the basis of race, color, or national origin.”
Nonetheless, several states have subsequently tried to challenge the education rights of undocumented students. In 2025, the Oklahoma State Board of Education approved a rule promoted by Superintendent Ryan Walters aimed at requiring school districts to determine the legal status of their students. This action was strongly criticized by Governor Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma Legislature ultimately disapproved the rule, meaning it did not effect.
[Look up more key terms to understand Oklahoma politics and government here]
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Editorial: Oklahoma's Senate leader reinforced our nation's promise
Illegal crossing of our southern border has declined sharply in recent months, but many people remain in our country without proper legal authorization.
How should we treat these people — keeping in mind the huge variation in the circumstances and motivations that drove them to come here?
Some clearly came here with criminal intent — members of criminal cartels, drug and sex traffickers — and some committed serious crimes once they arrived. These are "the worst of the worst," that President Donald Trump promised to make the target of a massive immigration law enforcement campaign.
The vast majority, however, came for reasons that should have particular resonance this year — 2026 — the 250th anniversary of our nation's creation.
They came for good and understandable reasons — to escape persecution, to improve their living conditions, to find opportunity and make a new start.
That's the story of America.
[The Oklahoman Editorial Board]
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3 - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lists three immigration facilities in Oklahoma: Cimarron Correction Facility in Cushing, Diamondback Correctional Facility in Watonga, and the Kay County Detention Center in Newkirk. [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement]
68.14% - Public school districts are the largest recipients of property taxes collected by counties in Oklahoma. Statewide, 68.14% of property taxes are distributed to local public school districts for general operations, construction, and funding long-term projects. [Oklahoma State University Extension]
$7.8 billion - The amount of federal Medicaid (SoonerCare) funding Oklahoma receives annually. Programs like SoonerCare expansion ensure those dollars don’t go to other states — they’re invested here, strengthening our health system, supporting rural hospitals, and helping more than 200,000 Oklahomans access care. [KFF]
37% - The national average for voter turnout in three elections from 2018 to 2022. When looking at turnout by racial demographics, 43% of eligible white voters cast their ballots every time, while that figure for Black voters was 27%, 21% for Asian American voters, and 19% for Hispanic voters. [Pew Research Center]
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Q&A: The Making of the Immigrant Detention Business in Rural America: Historian Brianna Nofil shares her research on how immigrant detention infrastructure has impacted small towns across America. Her historical mission is to uncover how America built the infrastructure it uses to jail people, and who has profited along the way. Nofil’s research focuses on migration, incarceration, and law in the modern United States. Her 2024 book “The Migrant’s Jail: An American History of Mass Incarceration” chronicles a century of coevolution between America’s immigration and criminal justice systems. She talked about her research in an episode of NPR’s Throughline podcast about the business of migrant detention. [The Daily Yonder]
Circuit Breakers Are a Better Option for Property Tax Relief: Property taxes are the backbone of state and local government budgets because they support public programs that keep communities educated, safe, and healthy. But as housing prices continue to rise across the country, a growing number of families are struggling with their property tax bills. States like North Dakota, Iowa, Indiana, and Kansas, among a dozen other states, are looking at ways to alter property taxes. But too often, their proposals threaten to lose a lot of revenue without really reaching the people who most need help. These proposals focus on addressing the amount of property taxes levied, rather than ensuring families can afford their property tax bills. There is a better way. [Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy]
Medicaid: The Health and Economic Benefits of Expanding Eligibility: Medicaid expansion has been shown to improve health outcomes, increase access to care, and reduce mortality among low-income adults. It also delivers significant financial benefits, including reduced medical debt, fewer unpaid bills, and improved credit outcomes. Beyond individuals, expansion strengthens health systems by lowering uncompensated care costs and helping keep hospitals — especially in rural areas — financially stable. Overall, the evidence shows that Medicaid expansion generates both health and economic returns that often outweigh its costs. [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation]
Finishing Off Voting Rights Act, Supreme Court Declares Racism Over — Again: This week, the Supreme Court destroyed what little remained of the Voting Rights Act. In Louisiana v. Callais on Tuesday, the Court eliminated the law’s protections against lawmakers drawing maps that dilute the political power of minority voters. The decision continued more than a decade of the Court’s assaults on what is often called the crown jewel of the civil rights movement. The opinion’s reasoning is based in part on a claim that is simply not factual. The indisputable fact is the racial turnout gap is widening, and the Roberts Court is partially responsible. [Brennan Center for Justice]
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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.
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