Policy and Advocacy

Julie Collins

The Winds of Change: Education Policy in Oklahoma

The 2022 General Election ushered in a new era for Oklahoma education as Ryan Walters was elected as the Superintendent of Public Education and sworn into office in January 2023. We have had some Superintendents of Public Education who have ruffled the feathers of citizens and teachers, but this superintendent seems to do so more than his predecessors. We have seen him in the news cycle throughout the election cycle and through his first months in office make statements about improving education in Oklahoma. Superintendent Walters ran his campaign on promises of banning books, getting back to basics in education, including getting all Critical Race Theory (CRT) instruction out of public schools, as well as requiring a new Christianity-centered history curriculum available through Hillsdale College in Michigan (Stecklein, 2022). While discussion of the history curriculum does not seem to have been a priority since he has taken office, some legislators spoke of teachers having clear standards to teach for Oklahoma and American history outlined in the Oklahoma Academic Standards: Social Studies (Stecklein, 2022) which negated the need for a separate curriculum. Additionally, Walters campaigned on providing vouchers, or tax credits, to provide school choice for Oklahoma families who send their children to private schools or provide homeschooling. Superintendent Walters has supported these school choice benefits, along with Governor Stitt, to reform education and create a state they believe will be attractive to new businesses.

Education Updates in the State of Oklahoma

In January, Governor Stitt appointed new members to the Oklahoma School Board, which is made up of seven members, one for each of Oklahoma’s Congressional Districts, an atlarge member, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. He replaced four of the six members, some before the designated end of their terms (Brinkman, 2023a; Denwalt, 2023), including removing the only board member with public education experience Additionally, Representative McBride stated that he was told that the at-large member would represent rural public education but does not feel like the appointment fulfilled that expectation (Brinkman, 2023a). You can find information about the Oklahoma School Board members here.

Superintendent Walters served in Governor Stitt’s first term administration as the appointed Secretary of Education. He was expected to continue in that role in addition to his elected post until recently. On April 11, 2023, Governor Stitt nominated Dr. Katherine Curry, a professor at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa to be the Secretary of Education (Associated Press, 2023). The governor’s appointments must be confirmed by 25 of the 48 members of the Oklahoma Senate. Ryan Walter’s accusations of liberal indoctrination of students by teachers has not gained him favor with some legislators, and it was suspected that he may not have had enough support for confirmation (Associated Press, 2023). Additionally, Oklahoma’s Attorney General Gentner Drummond responded to a letter from Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat with his decision that Superintendent Walters could not serve in both roles (Forman, 2023).

Superintendent Walters served as the Executive Director of Oklahoma Achieves, which was an education initiative led by the State Chamber of Oklahoma (Oklahoma State Department of Education, n.d.). He later served as the Executive Director of Every Kid Counts Oklahoma, an organization working toward the same goals as Oklahoma Achieves. Every Kid Counts Oklahoma incorporated Oklahoma Achieves into the new organization (“Oklahoma Achieves transitions to new reform initiative,” 2020). Every Kid Counts Oklahoma was the organization that managed a portion of the Governor’s Emergency Educational Relief (GEER) funds. The first two rounds of this funding totaled $39.9 million, including $8 million administered by the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE). The funds managed by the OSDE from July 2020 to August 2021 were found to be administered correctly (Eger & Krehbehl-Burton, 2022). The portion of the funds managed by Every Kid Counts Oklahoma totaled $17.3 million and was directed to two programs. The first program was “Stay in School,” aimed at keeping students in private schools during the pandemic if their parents could no longer afford tuition. Families were eligible for up to $6,500 in tuition assistance. The other program, “Bridge the Gap Digital Wallet,” provided $1,500 grants to low-income Oklahoma families to help students obtain materials needed to successfully complete school from home during the pandemic. These funds were managed by a vendor, Class Wallet. Oklahoma’s former Attorney General, John O’Connor, filed a lawsuit against Class Wallet alleging that the company failed to monitor the purchasing (Palmer, 2023). This lawsuit has been dismissed by current Attorney Drummond Gentner Drummond, who found that individuals in Oklahoma were ultimately responsible for misspent federal dollars (Palmer, 2013). To date, Oklahoma has returned $1.7 million to the US Department of Education (Eger & Krehbehl-Burton, 2023).

Superintendent Ryan Walters has implemented several initiatives at the agency. He has introduced an incentive to recruit teachers to some of the hardest to fill teaching positions in the state by creating Teacher Signing Bonuses for new and/or returning teachers. These bonuses are offered for certified teachers of PreK-3rd grades and PreK – 12th grades in special education who make a five-year commitment to a school district. Bonuses range from $15,000 - $50,000, with larger end of the range available if teachers commit to teaching in a rural or high-poverty school. The program will be paid for from American Rescue Plan Federal Relief Funds and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B funding (Oklahoma State Department of Education, 2023b). You can read details about the program here.

Superintendent Walters led the Oklahoma State Board of Education in creating new administrative rules for the agency at the March 2023 meeting. The 11 new rules were approved unanimously by the board members. The new rules addressed school media and library programs, parental rights, driver education, English language learner programs, Advanced, lead and master teachers, local professional development programs, adjunct teachers, transportation, concurrent enrollment, student services, and school facilities (Oklahoma State Department of Education, 2023a). The final nine rules were based on legislation from the 2022 Legislative Session. The first two new rules addressed controversial content that Superintendent Walters speaks of often regarding library materials and parental rights. You can read the proposed administrative rules here. Representative Mark McBride requested Attorney General Gentner Drummond review the rules. He issued his response stating that rules can only be written by an agency after the Oklahoma Legislature has passed legislation requiring new rules to be drafted. The Attorney General stated that the first two rules concerning library books, sex education, and student gender and sexual identities cannot be enforced, and these rules will not go into effect (Brinkman, 2023c).

2023 Oklahoma Education Legislation

As of the writing of this column, the Governor and leaders from the Oklahoma Legislature have announced an agreement for the education funding and school choice plans they have been touting. The agreement includes an additional $625 million to public education, with $500 million being added to the education funding formula and $125 million being put into Redbud Grants, which are allocated to eligible charter and public schools for school facilities, with funds coming from medical marijuana excise tax revenues (Oklahoma State Department of Education (2023b). Requests being included in the education funding and school choice package include pay raises of $3,000 to $6,000 for teachers, based on experience; $12 million for paid maternity leave for teachers who have worked in their district for at least one year; $150 million over the next three years for school resource officers; and $10 million over the next three years for regional literacy instructors (Martinez-Keel, 2023b).

Additionally, one of the issues that has been discussed and debated since before the last general election is allowing parental choice in their children’s education. Vouchers or tax credits for parents who pay for private school tuition or who homeschool their children have been discussed as methods to provide support for school choice for Oklahoma families. Parents sending children to private schools will be eligible for refundable tax credits from $5,000 to $7,500 per student per year, based on family income while those who choose to homeschool their children will receive a $1,000 tax credit per child (Martinez-Keel, 2023b). Funding for the tax credits will begin at $155 million in fiscal year 2024 and grow to $255 million in 2026 (Martinez-Keel, 2023b).

The inclusion of reading instructors, or literacy instructors as they are labeled in the legislation, is of particular interest to those of us who work in this area. The plan for the literacy team is laid out in SB1118 from the 2023 Regular Legislative Session. This bill will amend the

Reading Sufficiency Act. The plan is to have regional Literacy Team members across the state. The team will consist of at least five regional literacy leads and at least ten literacy specialists. The literacy leads are expected to have an endorsement or certification as a structured literacy dyslexia specialist or certified academic language therapist. The literacy specialists are expected to have training in the science of reading. All the literacy personnel are expected to be knowledgeable about multitiered systems of support and have had training in the identification of, and intervention for, dyslexia and related disorders. You can read all of the specifics in the bill here. The bill calls for $10 million dollars from the 2022 revenue fund to implement this plan. The requirements of this bill will begin with the 2023-2024 school year and run for three school years. A report of the pilot program will be due by December 31, 2026, relating whether the program had an impact on increasing the number of students proficient in reading.

On Tuesday May 16, 2023, legislators in both chambers circulated petitions to call for a special session to run concurrently with the remainder of the current legislative session that is set to conclude on Friday, May 26th at 5:00 PM (Savage, 2023). According to the Oklahoma Constitution, legislators can call a special session with the approval of two-thirds of the members (Savage, 2023). The Special Session will give the Legislature the opportunity to extend their work finalizing the budget as well as give them time to address vetoes that the governor may make (Savage, 2023). During the period the two sessions run concurrently, members of the chambers will need to identify which session they are acting under as they conduct business. After Sine Die, meaning without any future dates being designated for resumption, of the regular session on May 26th at 5:00 PM, the Oklahoma Legislature will be able to continue the Special Session to finish the goals it laid out until as late as November of next year, which is not likely in this case. During Governor Stitt’s first term he vetoed large sections of the Legislature’s budget, causing the members to override his vetoes. The current plan is to adjourn the special session Sine Die on June 12, 2023, on which date members have been asked to plan to be at the capitol to review any vetoes the governor may have made (Savage, 2023).

The purposes for the special session outlined in the Oklahoma Legislature’s request for with the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s office are 1) appropriate funds for fiscal years 2023 (ending June 30, 2023) and 2024 (beginning July 1, 2023); 2) legislation related to implementing the budget recommendations; or 3) expending federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Savage, 2023). Remaining budget issues include more than just funding for education initiatives. Other issues include tax policy, housing and transportation, infrastructure, and a request for a $245 million funding for a potential Panasonic Battery plant (Savage, 2023)

I encourage you to follow the 1st Special Session of the Oklahoma Legislature to see how the budget is finalized. If you feel strongly about any of the items included in this column which are still part of the discussion this session, please contact your Senator and/or Representative, and/or committee members working on the topic to share your thoughts. Remember, the legislators work for you!

References

Associated Press. (2023, April 11). Stitt picks professor, not Walters, for education secretary.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/oklahoma/articles/2023-04-11/stitt-picksprofessor-not-walters-for-education-secretary

Brinkman, B. (2023a, January 11). Stitt names four new school board members, removes only educator. NonDoc https://nondoc.com/2023/01/11/stitt-names-four-new-state-schoolboard-members-removes-only-educator/

Brinkman, B. (2023b, March 23). Board approves controversial new accreditation standards, Walters airs grievances. NonDoc. https://nondoc.com/2023/03/23/board-approvescontroversial-new-accreditation-standards-walters-airs-grievances/

Brinkman, B. (2023c, April 4). Attorney general opinion: New OSDE rules on libraries, parental rights invalid. NonDoc. https://nondoc.com/2023/04/04/attorney-general-opinion-newosde-rules-on-libraries-parental-rights-invalid/ https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/education/2023/01/11/oklahoma-gov-kevin-stittreplaces-4-of-6-board-of-education-members/69796924007/ https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/education/new-federal-report-highly-critical-ofoklahomas-use-of-pandemic-relief-money-for-education/article_7c99b268-07ce-11ed8727-e7a1175c8bb4.html https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/education/oklahoma-ags-letter-walters-cannot-besuperintendent-education-secretary-at-same-time/article_ae327e2e-d954-11ed-acc17b985f89e629.html#:~:text=OKLAHOMA%20CITY%20

Denwalt, D. (2023, January 12). Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt shakes up board of education, replaces 4 of 6 members. The Oklahoman.

Eger, A. & Krehbehl-Burton, L. (2023, May 12). New federal report highly critical of Oklahoma’s use of pandemic relief money for education. The Tulsa World.

Forman, C. (2023, May 12). Oklahoma AG’s letter: Walters cannot be superintendent, education secretary at same time. Tulsa World.

%20Oklahoma%27s%20attorney%20general,as%20the%20governor%27s%20education %20secretary

Martinez-Keel, N. (2023a, April 4). New Oklahoma rules on school library books, transgender students should be void, AG says. The Oklahoman https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/education/2023/04/04/oklahoma-lgbt-booksschool-library-rules-ryan-walters-gentner-drummond/70080835007/

Martinez-Keel, N. (2023b, May 16). Oklahoma Legislature reaches deal on school funding, teacher pay, and tax credits. The Oklahoman https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/education/2023/05/15/oklahoma-private-school- tax-credits-public-school-funding-legilsaturedeal/70219447007/#:~:text=Lawmakers%20agreed%20to%20pour%20%24625,grants% 2C%20which%20aid%20school%20facilities. https://oklahomawatch.org/2023/05/15/governor-legislative-leaders-strike-monumentalpublic-education-funding-deal/ https://journalrecord.com/tag/oklahoma-achieves/ https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/oklahoma-achieves-transitions-to-newreform-initiative/article_daf93347-abb5-5ec1-9e05-375313252371.html https://sde.ok.gov/superintendent https://sde.ok.gov/administrative-rules https://sde.ok.gov/sites/default/files/Teacher%20Signing%20Bonus%20FAQ%20_05082 3%20.docx%20%281%29.pdf https://oklahomawatch.org/2023/01/31/oklahoma-attorney-general-vendor-not-to-blamefor-misspent-education-relief-funds/

Monies, P. & Ross, K. (2023, May 16). Governor, Legislative Leaders strike ‘monumental’ public education funding deal. Oklahoma Watch.

Oklahoma achieves transitions to new initiative. (2020, June 25). The Journal Record.

Oklahoma Achieves transitions to new reform initiative. (2020, June 26). Tahlequah Daily Press.

Oklahoma State Department of Education. (n.d.). State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Oklahoma State Department of Education. (2023a, March 31). Administrative Rules.

Oklahoma State Department of Education. (2023b, May 8). Teacher Signing Bonus.

Palmer, J. (2023, February 16). Oklahoma Watch: Oklahoma Attorney General says vendor not to blame for misspent education relief funds. Oklahoma Watch.

Savage, T. (2023, May 16). Overtime: Legislature collecting signatures for concurrent special session to finish FY 2024 budget. NonDoc. https://nondoc.com/2023/05/16/legislatureconvening-concurrent-special-session-to-finish-fiscal-year-2024-budget/ https://www.enidnews.com/news/walters-pushes-for-christianitycentered-history-curriculum/article_1ee414cc-56f9-11ed-b337-0b81ae449936.html

Stecklein, J. (2022, October 28). Walters pushes for Christianity-centered history curriculum.

Enid News & Eagle.

Dr. Julie Collins enjoyed all of her literacy experiences in Oklahoma City, Norman, and Putnam City Public Schools and at the OSDE, before becoming a professor at the University of Central Oklahoma. She can be contacted at JCollins18@uco.edu.

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