{"id":4477,"date":"2025-02-13T12:10:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-13T12:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enidpost.com\/?p=4477"},"modified":"2025-02-13T14:48:18","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T14:48:18","slug":"oklahoma-governor-kevin-stitt-criticizes-superintendent-ryan-walters-over-controversial-proposal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enidpost.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/13\/oklahoma-governor-kevin-stitt-criticizes-superintendent-ryan-walters-over-controversial-proposal\/","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt Criticizes Superintendent Ryan Walters Over Controversial Proposal"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"flex-1 overflow-hidden @container\/thread translate-y-[2rem] -mt-[2rem] pb-[1.5rem]\">\n<div class=\"flex h-full flex-col overflow-y-auto\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col text-sm md:pb-9\">\n<article class=\"w-full text-token-text-primary focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-[-4px]\" dir=\"auto\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-5\" data-scroll-anchor=\"true\">\n<div class=\"m-auto text-base py-[18px] px-6\">\n<div class=\"mx-auto flex flex-1 gap-4 text-base md:gap-5 lg:gap-6 md:max-w-3xl\">\n<div class=\"group\/conversation-turn relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn @xs\/thread:px-0 @sm\/thread:px-1.5 @md\/thread:px-4\">\n<div class=\"flex-col gap-1 md:gap-3\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col flex-grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 whitespace-normal break-words text-start [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-5\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"37b853d9-af7c-4ca0-a9d0-c9834f8341b0\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-4o-mini\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[3px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert light\">\n<p data-start=\"102\" data-end=\"472\">Enid, OK \u2014 Governor Kevin Stitt is expressing frustration with the ongoing political drama surrounding State Superintendent Ryan Walters, particularly a proposed rule that would count undocumented students in the state. Speaking to the press on Wednesday, Stitt voiced strong opposition to the plan, calling it an inappropriate use of children as &#8220;political pawns.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"474\" data-end=\"657\">\u201cI guess it\u2019s when you\u2019re picking on kids, I guess when you\u2019re using them as political pawns, this is getting ridiculous,\u201d Stitt said during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"659\" data-end=\"1258\">The controversy surrounding Walters has persisted for nearly two years, with tensions mounting within the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) building. Lawmakers have expressed concerns about the direction of education policy, citing increasing litigation costs, funding questions, and what they view as unnecessary political infighting. Despite these tensions, Stitt has previously refrained from commenting on Walters&#8217; actions, stating that voters had elected him to the position. However, the governor drew the line this time when the issue of counting undocumented students was raised.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1260\" data-end=\"1586\">Stitt sharply criticized the potential collection of immigration status information from young students, calling it a non-public safety issue. &#8220;Let\u2019s go after the bad guys,&#8221; he said, emphasizing that the focus should be on solving Oklahoma&#8217;s broader education challenges rather than engaging in divisive political maneuvering.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1588\" data-end=\"2046\">The governor also highlighted ongoing concerns over Oklahoma\u2019s struggling education system, pointing to poor test scores and the state\u2019s position at the bottom of national rankings for education outcomes. \u201cWhen you think about the outcomes and you think about where our kids are compared to other states, we\u2019re not doing as well as we should. And so we have to get that fixed and we\u2019ve got to make sure that kids are learning in the classrooms,\u201d Stitt added.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2048\" data-end=\"2454\">On Tuesday, Stitt announced his nominations for three new members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education (OSBE), intending to replace three current members. He explained that his decisions were driven by the need to address failing test scores and resolve what he described as \u201cneedless political drama.\u201d However, Stitt\u2019s actions also appear to be connected to Walters&#8217; proposal on undocumented students.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2456\" data-end=\"2829\">In a statement, a spokesperson for the OSDE criticized the governor\u2019s position, suggesting that Stitt was overlooking the will of Oklahomans. &#8220;I\u2019m surprised the Governor is willing to pay $450 million towards illegal immigrants in Oklahoma. Not only is the Governor ignoring a mandate from President Trump, he\u2019s going against the will of Oklahomans,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2831\" data-end=\"3359\">Adding to the growing political tensions, Attorney General Gentner Drummond publicly sided with Walters. In a tweet, Drummond expressed support for the superintendent, which led to Stitt\u2019s response that political figures were simply playing for the next office. &#8220;These guys are running for their next office. They\u2019re playing politics, trying to get their names in the paper. And Oklahomans can see right through it. I think that\u2019s why Oklahomans hate politicians so much because do the job you\u2019re elected to do,&#8221; Stitt remarked.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3361\" data-end=\"3788\">In the midst of the ongoing debate, Walters introduced a new educational advisory group, the &#8220;Trump Advisory Committee,&#8221; which has added further intrigue to the political landscape. Two of the OSBE members currently up for replacement, Kendra Wesson and Katie Quebedeaux, are reportedly part of this new committee. Details about the committee\u2019s mission and whether taxpayer funds will be used for its activities remain unclear.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3790\" data-end=\"4090\" data-is-last-node=\"\">As the battle over education policy continues to unfold, Oklahoma residents are left to navigate a complex political environment in which education reform, immigration policy, and political ambitions are all intertwined. The stakes are high, and both sides seem determined to make their voices heard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-2 flex gap-3 empty:hidden -ml-2\">\n<div class=\"items-center justify-start rounded-xl p-1 flex\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pr-2 lg:pr-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"mt-3 w-full empty:hidden\">\n<div class=\"text-center\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"absolute\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center justify-center\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"md:pt-0 dark:border-white\/20 md:border-transparent md:dark:border-transparent w-full isolate has-[[data-has-thread-error]]:[box-shadow:var(--sharp-edge-bottom-shadow)] has-[[data-has-thread-error]]:pt-2\">\n<div class=\"m-auto text-base px-3 md:px-4 w-full md:px-5 lg:px-4 xl:px-5\">\n<div class=\"mx-auto flex flex-1 gap-4 text-base md:gap-5 lg:gap-6 md:max-w-3xl\">\n<div class=\"flex justify-center empty:hidden\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative z-[1] flex h-full max-w-full flex-1 flex-col\">\n<div class=\"absolute bottom-full left-0 right-0 z-20\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Enid, OK \u2014 Governor Kevin Stitt is expressing frustration with the ongoing political drama surrounding State Superintendent Ryan Walters, particularly a proposed rule that would count undocumented students in the state. Speaking to the press on Wednesday, Stitt voiced strong opposition to the plan, calling it an inappropriate use of children as &#8220;political pawns.&#8221; \u201cI [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":4482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[137],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4477","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-oklahoma"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt Criticizes Superintendent Ryan Walters Over Controversial Proposal - Enid Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/enidpost.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/13\/oklahoma-governor-kevin-stitt-criticizes-superintendent-ryan-walters-over-controversial-proposal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt Criticizes Superintendent Ryan Walters Over Controversial Proposal - Enid Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Enid, OK \u2014 Governor Kevin Stitt is expressing frustration with the ongoing political drama surrounding State Superintendent Ryan Walters, particularly a proposed rule that would count undocumented students in the state. 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