Latest news with #Deatherage
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Despite social studies standards controversy, OSBE meeting a stark contrast to past tense months
Tensions rose for a second time — albeit mildly — over the official record of an Oklahoma State Board of Education vote to approve controversial social studies standards. But after that back-and-forth on Wednesday, May 21, four new board members and Republican state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters appeared to be trying their hardest to be respectful toward each other during the board's monthly meeting. It was a stark contrast to the board's most recent meeting in April, when allegations of deceit on the part of Walters and lying by the board members about how the standards were passed set the tone for the meeting. The standards, which require high school students to learn about debunked claims of voting irregularities in the 2020 presidential election, have pushed Oklahoma into the national spotlight. The board voted to send the standards to the Legislature in February, and the standards eventually took affect after lawmakers opted not to do anything to change them. The circumstances surrounding how the standards were passed have turned the board's meeting minutes into a subject of controversy. Minutes are usually a routine item on most board agendas. Three new board members appointed by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt – Chris Van Denhende, Ryan Deatherage and Michael Tinney – sparred with Walters during the February meeting when the board considered the standards. Eventually, they were approved after Walters falsely told board members they had to approved that day for the agency to meet legislative deadlines. But Deatherage was shown in the meeting minutes as having made a motion to approve the standards, when he was the lone vote against them. A motion by Deatherage to table the standards, and a subsequent vote, weren't reflected in the minutes. The new board members raised the issue in April and voted to table the minutes, pending changes. Deatherage noted Wednesday the copy of the February board meeting minutes included in his informational packet – which is provided to board members – didn't reflect the changes. The board's executive secretary, Amy London, said that she was trying to save paper and thus didn't update the packets with the new version of the minutes, but that the new minutes could be found online. Ultimately, the board voted 5-1 – with Walters in opposition – to again table approval of the February meeting minutes. 'It's all about the process,' Tinney said in making his motion to table. After that, though, the new board members – including Becky Carson, named last month to the board – and Walters interacted mostly without conflict. Carson, a former teacher from Edmond, spoke about her concern of the number of Oklahoma teachers who are receiving emergency certifications, noting the high total – more than 4,000 during the 2024-25 school year – shocked her. She noted that number represented about 10% of teachers in the state. She called emergency certifications 'a necessary evil at this point,' given Oklahoma's shortage of traditionally certified teachers. Deatherage, who also serves as Kingfisher County's 911 director, spoke about mobile alert panic systems for Oklahoma schools and voted to approve a motion concerning them, after leading a motion last month to table a vote on the same agenda item. The board quickly approved a request for Mannford Public Schools to not have to meet the 165-day instructional minimum for the 2024-25 school year, citing wildfires that ravaged that Creek County community in March. After an executive session that lasted almost two hours, as the board prepared to vote on an action regarding the teacher's license of former Ringling High School football coach Phil Koons, a man in the audience in the tiny board meeting room stood up and said he was an attorney representing Koons, demanding to speak, saying he had spoken with the agency's attorneys about doing so. Walters said he was OK with allowing the man – who never identified himself and whose identity wasn't known by the board's attorney, Chad Kutmas – to speak. The man said Koons wasn't given notice either of Wednesday's planned board action, or of an administrative hearing in his case. Multiple other people who have had licenses revoked during Walters' tenure as superintendent also have complained about receiving no notice from the board, which is required. The subject of allowing due process to educators whose licenses might be suspended or revoked came up during a Senate confirmation hearing for Tinney on Tuesday. Ultimately, the board tabled action regarding Koons' license until its June meeting, and the man quickly exited the room. Board member Zachary Archer of Hammon did not attend the meeting. In 2025, he has attended only one board meeting, in February. He previously missed meetings in January and April. The March board meeting was canceled on the morning the meeting had been scheduled, with Walters citing a concern over a possible violation of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act because the deadline to post the agenda online had been missed by 20 minutes. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ryan Walters, OSBE members still disagree on social studies standards
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Board clashes with Supt. Walters over social studies standards
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Thursday's Board of Education meeting was a back-and-forth between Superintendent Ryan Walters and three of the state school board members over the proposed social studies standards. 'There may have been some comments that weren't 100% accurate, but I wouldn't say that's not new to the Department of Education,' said Board Member Ryan Deatherage. The proposed standards were posted online and included the ones submitted for public comment. But board members said that 12 hours before the February board meeting, changes were made. It now directs teachers and students toward debunked theories of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, and to Old Testament Bible stories and how they influenced American colonists. It was changed last minute, and the board members said they were not made aware. Senate leader taking a 'second look' at social studies standards The members called it a 'bait-and-switch.' 'That's simply not true. And so that is a lie. Now that has been pushed to the governor. It has been pushed out of the people of Oklahoma,' said Supt. Walters to the board members on Thursday. Walters also claimed that the changes were made based on public comment. News 4 got an open records request back for the public comments but none of them mentioned what was changed in the standards. When asked about that, Supt. Walters said, 'I stand by the decision we made, and I told the board members that it was up to me to make the final decision of what are we going to put in and what are we going to take out.' There were also several discrepancies with the minutes that were posted after the February board meeting. In the minutes, it said that member Deatherage was the one to make a motion to approve the social studies standards. That wasn't the case according to Deatherage. Also, what wasn't in the minutes was the fact that Deatherage put it up to a vote to give the members more time to look over the standards. That vote failed to pass in February, but it wasn't listed in the minutes. Oklahoma governor disapproves of social studies standards switch Deatherage asked to have that changed. Also, the video from the broadcast for the February meeting was deleted almost a month ago. News 4 reached out to the OSDE spokesperson, who said that Facebook is deleting broadcast videos after 30 days. Walters continued to claim that what the governor said and what the board members said was a lie about the standards having two sets. Ultimately, the minutes for both January and February were tabled by the board members to be discussed at a future board meeting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Victims find stolen lawn care equipment for sale online, suspect arrested
ST. LOUIS – After having lawn care equipment stolen from their garage last week, a south St. Louis couple found their property being sold online and alerted police. According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the theft happened early in the morning on Saturday, March 15, in the 5200 block of Tholozan Avenue, in the city's North Hampton neighborhood. The couple told police that one victim left for work around 5:40 a.m. from their garage. At 7 a.m., the other left for work and noticed the garage door was still opening. Thinking her husband forgot to close it, she closed it and drove to work. When the husband returned home around 4 p.m., he discovered pieces of lawn care equipment had been stolen from the garage: an E-Go string trimmer, an E-Go blower, an E-Go battery, and an E-Go charger. Brush fire reaches Potosi Charcoal facility in Cadet, Missouri The victims found the stolen equipment for sale on Facebook Marketplace and contacted police. A St. Louis police detective arranged to meet with the person selling the items, identified as James F. Deatherage, 35. On March 18, police arrived at the meet-up location and saw Deatherage holding the stolen items. Police took Deatherage into custody. Police said Deatherage admitted to stealing the items from the couple's garage. The St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office charged Deatherage with second-degree burglary and stealing – $750 or more. Deatherage remains jailed without bond. His next court date was not listed in online records at the time of publication. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahoma education board approves controversial social studies standards with one 'nay' vote
The Oklahoma State Department of Education will move its controversial proposed social studies standards to the state Legislature after they were approved by the state education board on Thursday. The presentation of the standards prompted a 50-minute conversation with questions from the Oklahoma State Board of Education's three new members, who were appointed earlier this month by Gov. Kevin Stitt. The standards were ultimately approved in a 5-1 vote with one of the new members, Ryan Deatherage, voting against it. Deatherage's "nay" vote marked the first time in state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters' two-year tenure that he's received an oppositional vote. The controversy surrounding the proposed standards comes from the dozens of mentions of the Bible and Christianity within them. However, neither topics were mentioned during the board's conversation Thursday. More: Ryan Walters announces proposed new social studies standards after promised 'overhaul' The proposed standards were developed by a 10-person executive review committee that included the co-founder of the conservative nonprofit PragerU, a representative from the conservative American Enterprise Institute and the president of another conservative group, the Heritage Foundation, along with multiple other conservative voices. Only three of the people on the executive committee have ever lived in Oklahoma. There are no Oklahoma public-school teachers or administrators on the executive committee, although there were about 75 of them who worked on updating the standards. On Thursday, questions about the standards centered around whether the motion for their approval could be tabled for next month's meeting, or a potential special meeting, so that new board members could have more time to review them. Deatherage asked Walters during the meeting whether it was possible to push the board's consideration of the standards to a special meeting. The superintendent said he'd prefer their approval to happen Thursday given what he said was an upcoming deadline to move them to the Legislature. "We've been working on these for over a year. They've been available to the public for months," Walters said. "The Legislature will start a review process. We are getting close to a deadline that if we delay very long, we could be hindering that." Chris VanDenhende, another new board member, said he was fine with passing the standards on to the Legislature because, if needed, board members could take their concerns regarding the standards to the House and Senate education committees. The third new board member, Michael Tinney, said he found the standards online before the meeting and reviewed them. He added he liked the standards and thought they were "pretty well done." Though if he hadn't had time to review them, Tinney said he'd also make a motion to table their consideration. More: Power struggle: How the Stitt-Walters feud started, and how it can impact OK politics Walters said the board is required to give the standards to Legislature within 30 days before potential adjournment. If the motion to approve them was tabled until the next regular meeting in March, that'd give the agency one day to turn them over, said Michael Beason, the general counsel for the state Education Department. The state Legislature's sine dine adjournment is May 30, according to the Oklahoma House and Senate website, which would appear to make the deadline April 30. Still, Deatherage made a motion to table the standards' consideration until next month's meeting, which was seconded by VanDenhende. The vote to table them failed in a 5-1 vote, with just Deatherage voting in favor. Before the board voted to approve the standards, VanDenhende asked whether members could be granted more time to review proposed academic standards in the future. "You guys were appointed here pretty recently. The governor decided to put you guys on this board on a very short timeline," Walters said in response. "This has been something that's been good that's been going on for nearly 10 months here. We try to get the materials in front of you as quick as possible, with also the understanding that ... most of this has remained fairly intact from when we submitted it. But remember, we have been taking public comments, meeting (with) public partners who have asked for changes, so there's always slight deviations to that." Earlier this week, a coalition of more than 30 Oklahoma-based "religious, spiritual, ethical, and nonreligious" organizations joined a letter expressing opposition to Walters' proposed social studies standards. The coalition wrote to Walters that the proposed academic standards "improperly and erroneously privileges Christianity." "This favoring of one faith tradition in public education violates Oklahomans' right to religious freedom, which is protected by both the U.S. and Oklahoma Constitutions," the letter reads. "We implore the Oklahoma State Board of Education to reject these proposed standards and instruct the Oklahoma Department of Education to further review and amend the standards to eliminate the biased prioritization of Christianity and its portrayal as the only religious tradition that has impacted American history and civic life." The letter states that Walters' attempt to insert biblical and Christian subject matter into the state's social studies standards is another attempt by the superintendent to "disproportionately emphasize Christianity, and more specifically, the Christian Bible." The group also criticized Walters' push for Bibles in classrooms, saying that it will alienate non-Christian students and families and violate their constitutionally protected rights to a public education free from "religious proselytization." According to the letter, "If the accuracy of public school academic standards is the Department of Education's primary concern, then a comprehensive world religions education that includes an academic and objective representation of various religious, spiritual, and ethical traditions represented in Oklahoma's communities should be the Department's priority." This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma board approves Ryan Walters' social studies standards
