Saturday, March 21, 2026 • Spring is officially here, but it feels like summer. Highs today in the mid-90s. ☀️

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By Beth Wallis, StateImpact Oklahoma
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Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order Friday calling for a comprehensive analysis of public school spending around the state.

The secretary of education and the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability are directed to create an Oklahoma Public Schools Revenue Report. In it will be analyses of revenue sources allocated to public education, expenditures by categories like instruction and administration, per-pupil spending from all funding sources and spending per in-person instructional day.

It will evaluate “spending efficiency” across districts and may offer recommendations to “enhance transparency, operational efficiency,” and practices for coding school expenditures.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education is directed to provide the secretary of education and OEQA with the data for the report. The analysis should be submitted to the Governor’s Office by Aug. 31.

“Every Oklahoman deserves to know how their tax dollars are being spent, and transparency in public education funding is critical to understanding how students are benefiting in the classroom,” Stitt said in a news release. “This executive order will ensure we look closely at real data, so we can reward what’s working, fix what’s broken, and ultimately improve student outcomes.”

Stitt noted in the release that state appropriations for public education have increased more in the last seven years than the past 25 years.

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A hand-curated list of the best journalism from across the state:

• Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson is resigning (The Oklahoman)*

• Two Goldsby firefighters, including longtime Oklahoman journalist, killed in tanker crash (The Oklahoman)*

• Woman says same man who threatened News 4 also tried to scam her in fake home rental scheme (KFOR)

• ‘Begging God': Woman grateful to be alive after being stabbed 32 times (News On 6)

• Tulsa couple welcomes rare “mermaid birth” baby (News On 6)

• Oklahoma voters facing deadlines for upcoming election cycle (Oklahoma Voice)

• Woman in charge of Crisis Nursery accused of using donations on personal purchases (KFOR)

• TPD arrests Rhema Bible Church co-pastor and wife on animal cruelty complaints (2 News Oklahoma)

• Nicotine products in Oklahoma prisons raise revenue, public health concerns (Oklahoma Watch)

• Farm bill draft would permanently block return of Fort Reno to Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes (NonDoc)

• Tulsa pastor’s deportation leaves a family broken, church community empty (La Semana)

• 40 years into ministry, Ray Owens is still answering God’s call at Tulsa’s Metropolitan Baptist (The Oklahoma Eagle)

• A new path to affordable homeownership opens in north Tulsa’s Flat Rock Ridge development (Tulsa Flyer)

• The Jax Forrest journey continues. Unbeaten OSU freshman will wrestle for a national title (Tulsa World)*

• New Bricktown sports bar sees large crowds during March Madness opener (News 9)

By Graycen Wheeler, KOSU
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Martial artist and actor Chuck Norris died suddenly Thursday morning, according to an announcement from his family. The 86-year-old was reportedly hospitalized earlier this week while training in Hawaii.

“To the world, he was a martial artist, actor, and a symbol of strength,” Norris’s family wrote in the announcement. “To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family.”

He was born Carlos Ray Norris on March 10, 1940, in Ryan, Oklahoma, right on the Texas border. After his parents divorced, Norris moved to Kansas and then California with his mother and two brothers.

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A daily briefing connecting Oklahomans to the state’s best journalism — and original content from Oklahoma Memo. Got a news tip? Somebody I need to interview? Message me at [email protected].