Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
From Sunshine Review
| Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs | |
| 501(c)(3) | |
| Leadership: | Hopper Smith |
| Political party | Nonpartisan |
| Website | Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs |
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| Coalition partner |
The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) is a liberty-minded educational institute and is the premier policy organization in Oklahoma. OCPA has been part of an emerging, national trend of conservative, state-based think tanks. Today, within the arena of public policy and politics, OCPA is regarded as “the flagship of the conservative movement in Oklahoma.”
[edit] History
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) was founded in 1993 as a public policy research organization focused primarily on state-level issues. The founders, led by Dr. David Brown, envisioned an organization that was capable of affecting the state’s public policy similar to national level think tanks, such as the Heritage Foundation. Throughout its nearly 15 years of existence, OCPA has conducted research and analysis of public issues in Oklahoma from a prospective of limited government, individual liberty and a free-market economy. OCPA has promoted the conclusions from its research through an array of media that have steadily increased in breadth, scope and ultimately, effectiveness.
[edit] Research and publications
OCPA conducts research on a wide variety of topics facing the state of Oklahoma. These include energy, education, taxes and spending, lawsuit reform, health care, and family and society.[1]
Research is disseminated through a number of publications:
- Faxline Report - includes commentaries that can be reprinted in newspapers and other publications.
- Policy Papers - papers on a wide range of topics
- Perspective - OCPA's monthly journal, includes articles, information, and analysis on current issues
- Capitol Ideas - a weekly e-newsletter
[edit] Per-pupil spending
OCPA has conducted two studies to assess how much money is spent per public-school-student in Oklahoma. A study published in 2005 about per-pupil expenditures in 2003 said that per-pupil spending was $11,250, whereas the Oklahoma State Department of Education said the per-pupil spending in 2003 was $6,429.
An update in 2009 of OCPA's study shows $10,942.11 in per-pupil spending versus the approximately $6,851 the state government claimed was spent per-pupil.
[edit] External links
- Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs website
- OCPA YouTube channel
- OCPA podcasts
- OCPA group on Facebook
- Let the Sun Shine In: Per Pupil Spending in Oklahoma
