After months of turmoil, Senate committee approves Stitt's OSBE nominations: How we got here
Three of Gov. Kevin Stitt's four recent nominees to the Oklahoma State Board of Education have passed a key milestone: confirmation by the Senate Education Committee.
The nominations of Michael Tinney, of Norman; Ryan Deatherage, of Kingfisher; and Becky Carson, of Edmond are advancing to the full Senate for a final vote. Under state law, the Senate must be finished with its work by May 30. Acting on executive nominations typically is done in the final days of the annual legislative session.
Tinney, Deatherage and Chris Van Denhende, of Tulsa, have served on the board, which oversees public education in Oklahoma, since February — clashing frequently with the board's chair, state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters — while Carson's first board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 21.
Van Denhende had his nomination confirmed earlier in May by the Senate committee during a fiery meeting.
'This shouldn't be a controversial board,' Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton said, 'but unfortunately it has become that way.'
When the Senate Education Committee met Tuesday, May 20, Tinney's nomination passed 10-2, with Deatherage's nomination advancing on a 9-2 vote. Carson sailed through with a 10-0 vote. The only senators voting against the nominations of Deatherage and Tinney were the committee's most far-right members, Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, and Sen. Kendal Sacchieri, R-Blanchard.
Stitt had named Tinney, Deatherage and Van Denhende to the board on Feb. 11 to replace three sitting members. He named a fourth new member, Carson, to fill an open seat on April 28. The governor said in February the board shakeup was due to 'ongoing controversy' at the Oklahoma State Department of Education and disappointing standardized test scores.
During his first two years in office, Walters received no pushback from the board on multiple controversial decisions, such as issuing a statewide Bible-teaching mandate or seeking to create an administrative rule that would allow the state Education Department to not just ask for the immigration status of students, but also of their parents.
That's changed since Stitt appointed Tinney, Deatherage and Van Denhende to the board. During two meetings, the three men have challenged Walters on multiple occasions.
The circumstances regarding Tinney's nomination featured significant additional political drama. Senate tradition requires the nomination be carried by the senator for the district in which the nominee resides, or by the Senate president pro tempore. But Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, declined to carry the nomination of Tinney, who lives in her district. Standridge has cited her friendship with Kendra Wesson, one of the three board members ousted by Stitt in February, as her reason.
The Senate president pro tempore, in such cases, can also carry a nomination, but initially, Paxton, R-Tuttle, declined to do so. But after discussions with Stitt and others, Paxton changed his mind. He said Tuesday that Standridge had asked him to carry Tinney's nomination.
'We've had some time to see him on the board and see how he performs on it, so he looks like the right person for the job and (we) wanted to make sure that that we were able to get that through,' Paxton said.
Paxton said he discussed Tinney's nomination with Stitt.
"The governor feels very confident that he made the right appointment and would love to see that appointment to stay on there,' Paxton said of their conversation. 'He said, 'We can find somebody else, but why go find somebody else when you have a qualified person that's willing to serve?''
Tinney said he was in far southwestern Oklahoma when he heard the news.
'You guys know the kind of hurdles my nomination overcame and I don't want to rehash all that, but I'm just thankful that things got worked out and thankful I got the opportunity to be heard,' Tinney said after his hearing. 'I'm just going to hope I'll be confirmed by the Senate and then I'll get over to doing my job.'
During Tinney's 37-minute hearing, Deevers grilled him about whether it might be a conflict of interest for Tinney to serve on the state board, given that Tinney's wife, Ginger, serves as the executive director of Professional Oklahoma Educators, a union-like professional organization. He also asked about a vote Tinney took in a recent board meeting against suspending the license of the teacher accused of child neglect. Tinney said everyone deserves due process in such a setting.
Deevers remained unconvinced, saying Tinney had 'too severe a conflict of interest' to serve on the board.
In response to a question from Sacchieri about his loyalty to the governor, Tinney replied, 'I will not be a 'yes' man.'
Deatherage's hearing lasted about 23 minutes. Deevers asked him about what Title 70 — a portion of state law that governs education and the board — says concerning the board's role. Deatherage likened board members to coaches, who tell the team captain — the superintendent — what plays to run.
'The board guides and checks and makes sure … schools are winning,' Deatherage said.
Deevers also asked Deatherage about a recent controversy regarding how Walters pushed through new state social studies academic standards. Deatherage, Tinney and Van Denhende all have said they didn't have sufficient time to read the final version of the standards, and that they felt deceived when Walters said they had to vote during the February meeting to meet legislative deadlines, when the actual deadline wasn't until the end of April.
Carson's hearing lasted only 13 minutes. Deevers asked her only one question and Sacchieri offered a couple of others. Carson said her mantra in education was the question, 'Is it good for kids?'
She also said 'our children … are watching us. What message are we sending them?'
The committee also approved, without opposition, the nomination of Tulsa venture capitalist Tracy Poole to the OSU/A&M Board of Regents, which governs Oklahoma State University, Langston University, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College and Connors State College. OSU President James Hess joined three other system presidents at the hearing to support Poole's nomination.
Also approved was the re-nomination of current Regional University System of Oklahoma Regent Connie Reilly, of Okemah.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Gov. Stitt's OSBE nominations get Senate committee confirmation
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