TPS Revises Goals to Align Expectations

By Susan Phillips, Education Editor

The Tulsa Public School (TPS) board unanimously approved revisions to the goals and guardrails established in their 2022-2027 Strategic plan. The rationale was to:

  • align TPS goals with what the Oklahoma State Board of Education (OSBOE) wants to see accomplished
  • focus monitoring energies primarily on academic outcomes
  • continue monitoring equitably providing education for all students including Special Education

Five board members were present: Board President Stacey Woolley, Vice President John Croisant, E’Lena Ashley, Susan Lamkin, and Diamond Marshall. 

The following revisions were part of the consent agenda, the entirety of which passed without discussion. Note: it is unusual for there to be no discussion of any aspect of the consent agenda.

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Osage Com. Everett Piper One & Done

By David Arnett

In a surprise to many, Osage County Commissioner Everett Piper has resigned his District 1 seat on the County Board of Commissioners effective “on or before March 31, 2024.”

Piper assumed office on January 3, 2023, and his term ends on January 4, 2027.

In an exclusive interview with this writer, Piper said, “I made it very clear from the very beginning that I was not seeking the position for a career or for any other reason than to correct some things that needed to be corrected in terms of leadership, budget and deferred maintenance care and organization of the [County] fairgrounds and also to bring a spirit of congeniality and respect into the office where people were treated well, both staff and peers as well as constituents.

Osage County Commissioner Everett Piper (Photo: Facebook)
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OK Tax Cuts on the Table

By Mike Mazzei

Analysis: Would you like to pay less taxes? I’d like to pay less taxes. Who wouldn’t? For the 2024 Oklahoma Legislative Session, everyone is talking about a tax cut, and several proposals are flying through the halls of the Capitol.

Gov. Kevin Stitt has asked the Legislature to pass a tax cut of 0.25 to lower the state income tax from 4.75% to 4.5%. The reduction in tax collections would be approximately $250 million.

The leaders in the Senate have wisely discussed caution to await the latest financial analysis on tax collection projections that come out this month. They would like to see the effects of the tax reductions for both personal and corporate income taxes that passed two years ago.

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Purple Martins Return, First Sighting in OK

By David Arnett

In a sure sign that spring is not far behind, the first Purple Martins of the year have been spotted in Purcell, Oklahoma. The arrival, cheered by the Purple Martin Conservation Association in a national release today, reminds that Purple martins, the largest swallows in North America, became acclimated to the dried gourds hung by Native Americans and handcrafted birdhouses designed by European colonists. The prevalence of these ready-made houses, coupled with the decline of natural cavities, has changed the behavior of the species. Now, only man-made nests will do and it’s time for landlords to hoist the homes.

The birds were seen on February 8 in Purcell by a Purple Martin enthusiast – one of many throughout the eastern and central United States who track and report on the birds’ annual migration on behalf of the Association. The migration of these unique birds can be reported and tracked through a community science project called the Scout-Arrival Study. 

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Google has Usurped Democracy

By Robert W. Malone MD, MS

Across the globe, fair elections no longer exist.

We hear a lot about “election integrity” or lack thereof, particularly around the issues of counting the vote and the ballot box. But the truth is that elections are more likely to be stolen via search engine manipulation effects (SEME).

In a series of randomized controlled experiments, it has been shown that more than 20% of undecided voters can be manipulated into voting one way or the other, by simply manipulating the rankings of search engine results.

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