Attorney General Gentner Drummond has called on the newly appointed members of Oklahoma's State Board of Education to exercise independent judgment, separate from Governor Stitt and State Superintendent Ryan Walters. In a letter addressed to Ryan Deatherage, Michael Tinney, and Chris VanDenhende, Drummond emphasized the importance of serving the people of Oklahoma rather than adhering to political or personal agendas.
Drummond expressed his concerns about public education under the leadership of Stitt and Walters. He cited several issues including poor educational outcomes, mismanagement of school security grants worth $50 million, denial of access for lawmakers to executive sessions, refusal to administer inhalers in schools, lack of transparency under the Open Records Act, misuse of public education funds, and denial of maternity leave for teachers authorized by legislation.
“While I welcome the Governor’s apparent ‘shake-up’ of the Board," wrote Drummond, "this action is only necessary because of Gov. Stitt’s extremely poor judgment in appointing, promoting and then endorsing Ryan Walters and his anti-public schools agenda." He urged new board members to act independently from both Gov. Stitt and Superintendent Walters.
Drummond also criticized Superintendent Walters for lowering student performance expectations on state-administered tests in 2024. "Superintendent Walters also possesses an honesty gap in view of his own expectations for student performance on state-administered tests," Drummond noted. This approach allowed students to score lower while still being considered proficient.
He reminded that the State Board holds significant constitutional and statutory powers over public instruction in Oklahoma. The superintendent is just one member among many on this board but does not have control over it. “This independence from the superintendent and department entitles you to view proposals from the superintendent and Department of Education with curiosity and reasonable skepticism,” stated Drummond.
The new appointees replace former board members Donald Burdick, Kendra Wesson, and Katie Quebedeaux.