Oklahoma Attorney General urges new State Board of Education members to act independently

Attorney General Gentner Drummond is calling on Gov. Kevin Stitt’s new appointees to the State Board of Education to exercise independent judgment, rather than aligning with the governor or State Superintendent Ryan Walters.

In a letter sent late Tuesday, Drummond urged Ryan Deatherage, Michael Tinney and Chris VanDenhende to prioritize serving the people of Oklahoma over any political agenda.

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“While I welcome the governor’s apparent ‘shake-up’ of the board, 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,” Drummond wrote. “As a new board member, you must act independently of Gov. Stitt and Superintendent Walters. The oath of office you take is to the Constitution and Oklahoma law.”

Drummond outlined several concerns regarding public education under Stitt and Walters, citing poor educational outcomes, mismanagement of $50 million in school security grants, restricted access for elected lawmakers to executive sessions, refusal to administer inhalers for schoolchildren, lack of transparency under the Open Records Act, and the mishandling of public education funds. He also criticized the administration’s denial of legislatively authorized maternity leave for teachers.

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“Superintendent Walters also possesses an honesty gap in view of his own expectations for student performance on state-administered tests, having quietly lowered the student performance bar in 2024,” Drummond wrote. “The superintendent’s watered-down approach further undermines the integrity of Oklahoma’s educational assessments, which the governor’s previous appointees green-lighted. This approach permitted students to score lower while still being considered proficient.”

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Drummond emphasized that the State Board of Education holds broad constitutional and statutory powers over public instruction and that the superintendent, while a board member, does not have sole authority 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 and to exercise your own independent judgment,” Drummond wrote.

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The new board members replace Donald Burdick, Kendra Wesson and Katie Quebedeaux.

Drummond's full letter can be read below.