{"id":4501,"date":"2025-02-14T22:08:51","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T22:08:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enidpost.com\/?p=4501"},"modified":"2025-02-14T13:03:33","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T13:03:33","slug":"oklahoma-governor-kevin-stitt-criticizes-superintendent-ryan-walters-over-political-drama-and-education-policies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enidpost.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/14\/oklahoma-governor-kevin-stitt-criticizes-superintendent-ryan-walters-over-political-drama-and-education-policies\/","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt Criticizes Superintendent Ryan Walters Over Political Drama and Education Policies"},"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 text-base gap-4 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=\"8fca764c-ed80-4e0a-9ad9-3769992f740d\" 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=\"118\" data-end=\"475\">Enid, OK \u2014 Governor Kevin Stitt expressed frustration with the political turmoil surrounding Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters, particularly over Walters&#8217; proposed rule to count undocumented students. Speaking to the press on Wednesday, Stitt criticized Walters for what he described as &#8220;picking on kids&#8221; and using them as political pawns.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"477\" data-end=\"950\">Stitt&#8217;s comments came a day after he announced his nominations for three new members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education (OSBE). The Governor cited concerns about failing test scores and \u201cneedless political drama\u201d as reasons for the replacements. However, at a State Chamber Dinner on Tuesday night, he expanded on his decision, citing a controversial proposal by Walters to track the immigration status of students, including those as young as six or seven years old.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"952\" data-end=\"1312\">\u201cCollecting six, seven, eight-year-old kids\u2019 addresses and immigration status in the state of Oklahoma? It\u2019s not a public safety issue,\u201d Stitt remarked. \u201cLet\u2019s go after the bad guys.\u201d His response reflected growing tension within the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), which has been marked by controversy and legal battles over the past two years.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1314\" data-end=\"1773\">Stitt\u2019s comments underscore a mounting rift between him and Walters, who has garnered national attention with his policies and public statements on education. The governor&#8217;s frustration was evident, especially after a long period of staying out of conflicts between the two. Previously, Stitt had refrained from commenting on Walters\u2019 actions, stating simply that \u201cthe people chose him.\u201d This time, however, Stitt made it clear that the line had been crossed.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1775\" data-end=\"2148\">Walters\u2019 proposed rule, which seeks to count undocumented students, has sparked debate across the state. Stitt described the proposal as unnecessary and harmful to Oklahoma\u2019s educational priorities. He pointed out that Oklahoma continues to lag behind other states in educational outcomes, with poor test scores and rankings near the bottom in various national assessments.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2150\" data-end=\"2459\">\u201cWe\u2019re not doing as well as we should,\u201d Stitt added. \u201cWe have to get that fixed, and we\u2019ve got to make sure that kids are learning in the classrooms.\u201d His remarks highlight the Governor\u2019s focus on improving educational standards in Oklahoma, a task he believes has been overshadowed by political distractions.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2461\" data-end=\"2782\">In response, a spokesperson for the OSDE issued a statement challenging the Governor\u2019s position. The spokesperson expressed surprise at Stitt\u2019s willingness to allocate funds to support undocumented immigrants, accusing him of ignoring the will of Oklahomans and disregarding mandates set by former President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2784\" data-end=\"3213\">Meanwhile, Stitt\u2019s nominees for the OSBE include Michael Tinney, an attorney, Ryan Deatherage, an emergency management director, and Chris Van Denhende, a former official with the Regional University System of Oklahoma. Tinney\u2019s wife, Stephanie Tinney, is a director for Professional Oklahoma Educators, while Deatherage\u2019s experience in emergency management is cited as an asset for overseeing the state&#8217;s educational strategies.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3215\" data-end=\"3567\">In the midst of this political turmoil, Attorney General Gentner Drummond weighed in, expressing support for Walters\u2019 stance on the issue. Drummond, who is also running for Governor, echoed Walters\u2019 concerns about the state\u2019s approach to immigration, while Stitt criticized Drummond and other political figures for seeking attention ahead of elections.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3569\" data-end=\"3935\">As the political battle over education policy intensifies, Walters also introduced a new educational group, the Trump Advisory Committee, which includes two members of the OSBE who are currently under consideration for replacement. The purpose of the group remains unclear, and questions have arisen over whether taxpayer dollars will be used to fund its activities.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3937\" data-end=\"4280\" data-is-last-node=\"\">The ongoing political drama surrounding Walters and Stitt reflects deeper divisions in Oklahoma\u2019s educational landscape. With educational outcomes continuing to struggle, both sides of the debate are under increasing pressure to find solutions that prioritize the needs of students while navigating the complex political dynamics of the state.<\/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","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Enid, OK \u2014 Governor Kevin Stitt expressed frustration with the political turmoil surrounding Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters, particularly over Walters&#8217; proposed rule to count undocumented students. Speaking to the press on Wednesday, Stitt criticized Walters for what he described as &#8220;picking on kids&#8221; and using them as political pawns. Stitt&#8217;s comments came a day [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":4505,"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-4501","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 Political Drama and Education Policies - 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\/14\/oklahoma-governor-kevin-stitt-criticizes-superintendent-ryan-walters-over-political-drama-and-education-policies\/\" \/>\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 Political Drama and Education Policies - Enid Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Enid, OK \u2014 Governor Kevin Stitt expressed frustration with the political turmoil surrounding Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters, particularly over Walters&#8217; proposed rule to count undocumented students. 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