OKPOLICY.ORG
The beginning of a new school year, normally a time of excitement and looking forward, finds Oklahoma education at the state level in what can only be described as a state of chaos. And the chaos is surely being felt among educators in some, if not most, of the state’s 509 school districts.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters, through his rhetoric and actions, has raised the ire of many of the educators and school districts the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) is supposed to be serving. He’s done so generally by casting himself as on the side of parents in a battle against “woke indoctrination” and explicit materials promoted by the education establishment, including teachers’ unions.
Dissatisfaction among some legislators with the management of OSDE under Walter’s leadership has been present for quite a while. House Democrats have repeatedly called for an impeachment inquiry against Walters. But dissatisfaction among Republicans went public and spread among the legislators exponentially in this past week.
First, Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, Chair of the House Education Appropriations Subcommittee, wrote a letter signed by 16 Republican House members – with signatories growing to over 20 – asking Speaker Charles McCall to initiate an investigation into “alarming” actions by Walters and the State Board of Education to determine if Walters committed impeachable offenses.
McBride, a serious-minded, usually low-key legislator, who has dedicated much of his 12-year legislative career to education issues, was triggered by allegations of failure to properly distribute school security funds and funding for children’s asthma inhalers, among a variety of other complaints.
Speaker McCall denied the McBride request on the grounds that Walters was elected by voters statewide, saying he would not consider an impeachment inquiry until 51 or more Republican members join in making the request. The 51 Republican requirement has been typical of McCall’s leadership on potentially difficult issues.
But then on Thursday, Rep. Kevin Wallace, R-Wellston, Chair of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee and the House Co-chair of the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) oversight committee, announced that, with Speaker McCall’s approval, he would direct LOFT to investigate “funding disbursement concerns” raised by both citizens and legislators regarding funds earmarked to OSDE for specific purposes. Wallace insisted the LOFT investigation is not about Walters, but about transparency of OSDE.
Speaker McCall also insisted the LOFT investigation is not an impeachment inquiry. However, Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat appeared to treat it as such by issuing a press release on Friday stating that senators will need to recuse themselves from the LOFT investigation to avoid a potential conflict of interest “if we have to act on the findings.” Senators would only need to recuse themselves if their actions were related to an impeachment proceeding.
To further muddy the water and add to the chaos, Walters hurriedly called a news conference on Friday during which he blasted McCall and McBride, accusing them of spreading baseless lies. He accused McCall of being motivated by political ambitions in the 2026 governor’s race and demanded that McCall skip the investigation and begin impeachment proceedings on Monday. McCall declined to take the bait on starting impeachment proceedings.
Walters, who was elected less than two years ago, seems to feel he has the backing of the public – or would have in an ideological showdown – in what he sees as “liberal Republicans” and Democrats promoting evil in Oklahoma schools. Apparently, he either has no fear that an impeachment in the House would occur, or he would welcome impeachment as a badge of honor in his crusade against wokeness. Certainly he knows a 2/3 vote in the Senate for removal from office would be a heavy lift.
All this adds up to a school year beginning with a lot of rancor, turmoil, and probably a fair amount of confusion by Oklahoma citizens. It’s messy.
