Latest news with #R-Tuttle
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nominees to Oklahoma State Board of Education advance toward Senate confirmation
Oklahoma State Board of Education member Mike Tinney speaks to the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City. The committee advanced his confirmation to the board in a 10-2 vote. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — Mike Tinney was parked at a Sonic in Western Oklahoma on Friday when he got the news. His food had just arrived when the leader of the Senate Education Committee called. Tinney's confirmation to the Oklahoma State Board of Education, which had been mired in uncertainty, was going to move forward. Tinney, a Norman attorney, said he was unsure before that point whether the committee would consider his confirmation at all. His home senator had declined to support his nomination by Gov. Kevin Stitt to the board, which typically is a death knell for a nominee's chances at Senate confirmation. He learned in that Friday phone call that the Senate's top lawmaker, President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, would step in to carry his nomination. With Paxton's support, the Senate committee voted 10-2 on Tuesday in favor of confirming Tinney to the state board through April 2027. He must pass a vote by the full Senate for it to be final. 'I'm just glad this is done,' Tinney told reporters after the vote. 'You guys probably know the hurdles that my nomination overcame. I don't want to rehash all that. I'm just thankful that things got worked out and thankful I got the opportunity to be heard. Hopefully I'll be confirmed by the Senate, and then I will get on with doing my job.' The committee on Tuesday also advanced the confirmation of two other state Board of Education nominees, Ryan Deatherage, of Kingfisher, and Becky Carson, of Edmond. It did so for board member Chris Van Denhende, of Tulsa, last week. Paxton said Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, asked him to take over Tinney's nomination. Standridge, who did not return multiple requests for comment from Oklahoma Voice, told other media outlets she objected to supporting Tinney because she is a friend of the state board member he replaced. The governor appointed Tinney, Deatherage and Van Denhende to the board in February while ousting three members he said were complicit in 'needless political drama.' Stitt did so after the removed board members voted in favor of collecting public school students' immigration status. Paxton said he decided to carry Tinney's nomination after speaking with Stitt, Tinney and Education Committee leader Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond. 'We didn't want time to run out in the session without going ahead and getting this accomplished,' Paxton said. 'We're going to be able to get that done.' Tinney, Deatherage and Van Denhende already have had a tumultuous three-month tenure on the board. In their first board meeting Feb. 27, they voted on new academic standards for social studies education. They said they later learned the standards included significant changes they were unaware of at the time of the vote, including new language that casts doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election results. The controversy led to a confrontation during the board's April meeting between the three new members and state Superintendent Ryan Walters, who directed the last-minute changes. During that meeting, Walters said the updated standards were provided to the board members before the meeting, but he couldn't force them to read the information. Records that Walters' administration provided indicated the board members received the lengthy document at 4 p.m. the evening before the Feb. 27 meeting. The episode stirred up questions about the standards' legitimacy and Walters' compliance with public transparency. A lawsuit already has been filed over whether the approval process of the standards followed proper procedures. 'I hope things smooth out, and the board as a whole can start moving forward and doing some good for education in Oklahoma,' Tinney said. Tinney, Deatherage and Van Denhende faced numerous questions from the Senate committee about their approach to the board. 'I want to think of it as the state superintendent is like the team captain and the state Board of Education are like the coaches,' Deatherage told the committee. 'The team captain helps run practice and lead the team, but the coaches make the game plan, choose the plays they were running and make sure the captain is doing a good job.' Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, peppered Tinney, Deatherage and Van Denhende with questions and voted against their confirmation. Deevers, a member of the far-right-wing Freedom Caucus, said during Van Denhende's hearing last week that he had no qualms with the nominee but believes 'there's been a disservice done to our board.' He said he wouldn't support Tinney because of the candidate's connection to a professional organization for teachers. His wife, Ginger Tinney, leads Professional Oklahoma Educators and his son, Daniel Tinney, is the group's government relations liaison. Tinney co-founded POE with his wife in 1998. 'I think there is too severe a conflict of interest for me to approve this,' Deevers said during the committee meeting. Tinney said his proximity to POE will be an asset rather than a conflict. He said he would recuse from certain votes, if necessary, and wouldn't share confidential board information with his family. 'I think it's a real advantage that I have access to all those teachers and resources and knowledge about education,' Tinney said of the organization. 'It will help me immensely on the board.' The governor nominated Carson, a retired Edmond Public Schools teacher, to the board three weeks ago. She is the only recent board nominee who hasn't yet taken office. If confirmed, Carson will fill a seat representing Congressional District 5 that has been vacant for two years. Carson said Oklahoma must focus on improving student absenteeism rates, classroom funding, teacher retention and test scores. 'There shouldn't be the controversy that is happening in this board right now,' Carson said during the committee meeting. 'They're there for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to make sure that students are given a quality education in the state.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oklahoma Republicans leaders are cheering their budget deal, but who does it really help?
Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, and House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, shake hands during an announcement of a 2026 budget deal on May 14 at the state Capitol. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice) Judging by all the backpatting we witnessed last week, Oklahoma's Republican legislative leaders want us to believe their latest budget deal will make our state a beacon of prosperity . In reality, it feels a lot like the opposite. It appears Oklahomans ended up with a budget agreement negotiated behind closed doors by a small group of influential lawmakers and lobbyists that got their hearts' desires at our expense. And, it appears this is a budget that has been crafted in a vacuum by people completely oblivious to the giant pile of flaming dog doo that Congress appears poised to leave on our doorstep. (Maybe that fire is the light from the previously mentioned beacon.) I couch this all with 'appears' because 99.99% of us have no idea how Oklahoma's budget was created. Last year, Oklahomans for the first time were able to watch budget negotiations play out in real time during a series of public hearings. While those conversations at times were as dull as watching paint dry, they really helped the public — including the media — understand how the deal was reached. And, they helped curtail lobbyists' influence. Unfortunately, the House and Senate legislative leaders who championed that strategy termed out or lost reelection. They were replaced by new leaders who, disappointingly, decided to scrap that process and largely revert to conducting budget talks in meetings that aren't publicly accessible. So we don't know why – after years of resistance – that this is the year lawmakers chose to bow to Gov. Kevin Stitt's pressure to cut the state's income tax. The expected impact of the 0.25% cut on state coffers varies greatly depending on who you ask. The timing is a headscratcher because Congress is planning cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP or food stamps, that could require states like ours to foot the difference. Not to mention that pesky inflation that while slowing has not disappeared. That $3.5 billion that lawmakers are bragging about having in savings isn't going to last long if the federal government decides to require our state to pay for federal programs that help low-income residents. Ours is the sixth poorest state after all. I don't understand why our Legislature doesn't want to wait until the dust settles in D.C. before making tax cuts. After all, to raise taxes requires a supermajority legislative vote or a vote of the people. Maybe lawmakers are focused on political points for the moment. But cutting taxes now could leave future Legislatures in a precarious financial position. It wasn't long ago that Oklahoma lawmakers cut taxes and then had to plug a $1 billion shortfall. During that time, in 2018, they had to cut services and even had to raise taxes on gas and diesel, cigarettes and gross production. I'd rather any savings from Stitt's tax cut be invested in fixing our pothole-ridden public roadways or boosting teacher salaries so we can get more qualified educators in our classrooms. Or perhaps we could invest it in growing other state agencies' budgets. Most of those will remain flat next year, which would be great, except for the fact that everything is getting more expensive. That means they're getting cut. Lawmakers increased public school funding by $25 million, but allocated double that in new money to private schools, which serve only a small fraction of school children. In exchange for that $25 million, public schools will be required to add an instructional day to their school calendar, which will pretty much eliminate any financial benefit from that windfall. Private schools face no such requirement. But even beyond that, this budget inexplicably contains over $750 million in special interest projects. Instead of requiring the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University to fundraise to feed their ambitions, lawmakers think taxpayers should foot the $200 million bill to build OU's new pediatric heart hospital and spend $250 million so OSU can improve its College of Veterinary Medicine. Taxpayers are being asked to subsidize those projects at the same time our state's CareerTech is slated to see its budget reduced by about 8.8%, or by over $17 million. CareerTech is an entity that provides career and technical training to over 520,000 Oklahomans each year, preparing them to work in many of our professions that don't require a traditional college degree, but face critical shortages. Health care would be one of those. Maybe we should fund that and our other core government services adequately before spending $312 million to buy a private prison in Lawton. That purchase sounds like a terrible investment for a state whose voters have signaled at the ballot box that they want to reduce our state's incarceration rates. There wouldn't be a need to buy more prisons if lawmakers are taking that missive seriously. Most years these budget agreements sail through the Legislature, but there are plenty of new faces in the Capitol this year that have proven that they're not afraid to challenge the status quo. No budget agreement should ever be a done deal without giving Oklahomans time to weigh in. Like all budgets, it will still need to clear the committee process, be voted on by both chambers and be acted upon by Stitt. Lawmakers have until 5 p.m. May 30 to pass one. So here's hoping that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle take the time to listen to their constituents and that they're thinking critically about whether all the components of this budget along with the proposed tax cut best position our state for success in future years. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oklahoma education leader urges Legislature not to increase school funding, cut more taxes instead
State Superintendent Ryan Walters peaks at a news conference Friday at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — In what appeared to be a campaign stump speech in all but name only, state Superintendent Ryan Walters called to eliminate Oklahoma's income tax and property tax and said the state should stop increasing funding for public schools. Walters, who leads the statewide public education system, said Oklahoma should slash administrative spending across state government. Finding these efficiencies, he claimed, would make up for the many millions of dollars public schools would lose if the state stops collecting income and property taxes. 'People love to throw around how much money you spend in education,' Walters said in a surprise news conference at the state Capitol on Friday. 'I don't want to be a leader in how much money we spend on education. I'll make that clear. I do not want to be that leader.' Walters, a Republican long thought to be a potential gubernatorial candidate, spent much of the news conference criticizing the state budget Gov. Kevin Stitt and legislative leaders announced Wednesday. He took questions from reporters for 40 minutes while a small group of his supporters cheered him on. When asked directly whether he intends to run for governor, Walters said that's a 'question I'll look at over the summer.' If Walters launches a campaign, he would join a 2026 Republican primary race of Attorney General Gentner Drummond, former House Speaker Charles McCall, former state Sen. Mike Mazzei and Leisa Mitchell Haynes, of Choctaw. House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, is the only non-Republican in the race to succeed Stitt, who will be term-limited. 'My focus is the school year and this legislative session,' Walters said. 'We still have time this legislative session to get it right.' The offices of House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, and Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, declined to comment on Walters' remarks. The Governor's Office did not return a request for comment. Their $12.6 billion budget deal cuts the state's top income tax bracket by .25% and eliminates three lower tax brackets — a measure Walters said doesn't go far enough to support working Oklahomans. Stitt had urged lawmakers to cut the income tax by a half a percentage and to chart a path to eliminating the income tax altogether. The budget includes a 3.15% increase to the Oklahoma State Department of Education's budget and gives $25 million more to public schools. Despite saying on Friday that he wants 'less money going to our agency,' Walters had asked at the beginning of the legislative session for a 2.43% funding increase to the education budget. He had specifically requested $3 million to buy Bibles for public school classrooms, $1 million for a new teacher induction program, $1 million to recruit military veterans and former law enforcement officers to become teachers, and $500,000 to give educators concealed-carry firearms training. None of these proposals made it into the state budget that lawmakers and the governor crafted. However, state leaders agreed to boost a teacher maternity leave fund by $4 million and to dedicate $5 million to high-dosage tutoring for reading and math, an initiative inspired by a program Walters established. Every Oklahoma classroom will be stocked with a Bible, Walters said, even without any state funding to buy them. He said his administration has been collecting donated copies and already purchased more than 500 Bibles with agency funds. His new state standards for social studies education requires schools to teach biblical stories and the teachings of Jesus that inspired historical figures in American history. 'The Bible is going to be in every classroom this fall,' he said. 'The legislature can put the money there or not.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After intense hearing and controversial emails, Senate committee recommends confirming OSBE nominee
The Senate Education Committee has voted to confirm one of Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt's newest nominees to the Oklahoma State Board of Education after an intense hearing where senators decried an email campaign aimed at derailing the nomination. The emails compared Chris Van Denhende to the former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev — a description Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, and other top Republicans called deeply unfair. Paxton said the messages were written 'by people who feel empowered by a keyboard' who 'send emails at 2 or 3 in the morning' and called their content 'unfair, hateful opposition.' 'If you shared those things … then you are part of the problem,' he said during the committee meeting on Thursday, May 15. The committee ultimately voted 9-2 to advance Van Denhende's confirmation to the full Senate. Two far-right senators, Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, and Sen. Kendal Sacchieri, R-Blanchard, opposed the nomination. Paxton and Senate Majority Floor Leader Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville — who both sit on the committee by nature of their leadership positions but rarely attend — both voted to advance Van Denhende's nomination. Van Denhende was one of three members appointed to the board in February by Stitt in a shakeup that replaced three previous members. Republican state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, the chair of the board and the head of the Oklahoma State Department of Education by nature of his elected position, criticized Stitt's action and has clashed with the new board members during two meetings since their appointment. Van Denhende and his fellow new board members have faced a wave of backlash, particularly online, from people who say they support Walters. Sen. Regina Goodwin, D-Tulsa, who sponsored Van Denhende's appointment, opened the hearing by praising him: 'If Governor Stitt and Regina Goodwin can agree, there must be something darn, darn good about this man.' Van Denhende is the chief financial officer for Mint Turbines and Southwest Fuel Systems in Stroud. He previously served for about four years as a regent for the Regional University System of Oklahoma before joining the state Board of Education. 'I am returning to the state what the state gave me in education,' he said about his service on state education boards. A few minutes later, Deevers — one of only four known members of the Legislature's far-right Freedom Caucus — began peppering Van Denhende with questions about whether he disagreed with Walters' approach to education, what role he thought the state Board of Education played — and if it had the right under law to hold Walters accountable, if he supported Walters' initiatives, and about controversial social studies academic standards Walters successfully pushed through the board in February. In response to Deevers' questioning, Van Denhende said the board has the constitutional responsibility to vote on issues that come before it. He also said he had 'little issue' with specific content in the standards, although he added he thought 2020 election-denial language quietly inserted by Walters at the last minute 'doesn't need to be in the standards.' Van Denhende said the process used to pass the standards bothered him. Van Denhende previously has said he believes the new board members were deceived during their first meeting when Walters told them they had to vote that day on the standards — when they really had up to two more months to do so — and that he failed to tell them about last-minute changes made to the standards. The members were not provided with a copy of the completed standards until 4 p.m. on the day before the 9:30 a.m. board meeting. Deevers said he'd vote against Van Denhende's nomination because 'there's been a disservice done to our board.' After Deevers finished his line of questioning, three Republicans, including Paxton, spoke out against what they said were personal attacks against Van Denhende and his family, both in emails sent to legislators and in a conservative blog post opposing the nomination. Pugh said he'd received emails comparing Van Denhende to Gorbachev. With his voice rising as he spoke, Senate Education Committee Chair Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, expressed anger similar to that of Paxton. 'It is absolutely the duty of a state board member to ensure that the agency fulfills it mission,' Pugh said. 'Now, how we go about holding elected officials accountable, I fear we've moved ourselves from a republic to a direct democracy, where it is 'do exactly as I say, or else.' That's actually everything that the founding fathers were against.' Turning to Van Denhende, Pugh said, 'You do not work for me, nor do you work for any member of this committee. You do not work for the governor of Oklahoma, though he certainly has the power to fire you. … You also, much to the surprise of people who filled my inbox with nonsense, don't work for the state superintendent of education. You work for 4 million Oklahomans.' Asked afterward about the email attacks mentioned by the senators, Van Denhende said, "Apparently there was something that went out that bombarded the Senate Education Committee on my nomination today. I overnight became a green woke Marxist. I'm not really sure how that came about." The drama continued outside the meeting room at the Capitol after the 45-minute confirmation hearing. Daniels and Sacchieri appeared to have a heated conversation, while down the hallway, a lobbyist for the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Lindsey McSparrin, was speaking with Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, who was upset about the campaign being used against Van Denhende, whom Rader said he's known for 50 years. State Education Secretary Nellie Tayloe Sanders hugged Van Denhende. At least two, and perhaps three, more of Stitt's nominees await confirmation hearings before the Senate committee. The Legislature must finish its work, including those hearings, by May 30. The committee also approved, by a 9-0 vote, the nomination of Rainey Williams to the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents. Williams is a businessman and investor with ties to OU Health Inc. He's also the president of Oklahoma City-based Marco Capital Group, an investment partnership. University of Oklahoma President Joseph Harroz attended the hearing in support of Williams. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OK Senate committee recommends Chris Van Denhende's OSBE appointment
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oklahoma Republicans tout proposed $12.6 billion budget deal
Gov. Kevin Stitt announces a budget deal for the 2026 fiscal year on May 14, 2025. Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, left, and House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, right, and other legislative leaders joined the governor for the announcement at the state Capitol. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – Gov. Kevin Stitt and legislative leaders on Wednesday announced an agreement on a $12.6 billion state budget for the upcoming fiscal year that contains a tax cut, increased education spending and money to purchase a prison. Republican leaders praised the budget deal, with one legislator calling it the smoothest negotiations he'd seen in seven years. Democrats, though, expressed doubts that the deal benefits Oklahoma residents. The proposed tax cut, which drops the state's top income bracket to 4.5% from 4.75%, comes after years of calls from Stitt. The Republican had faced roadblocks from lawmakers within his own party, who feared it could harm state coffers in bad revenue years. It also reduces the number of tax brackets from six to three. 'It stays in people's pockets to be able to be spent how they see fit,' Stitt said. The plan calls for triggers to further reduce the top bracket when revenue hits a certain target. Most Oklahomans fall within the top bracket. A family of four with an income of $50,000 would save about $137 a year, according to Senate staff. 'That's going to be very, very significant for a lot of families,' Stitt said. He said the cut is needed so Oklahoma can be competitive with other states. The budget agreement keeps most state agency allocations flat. However, it includes a 3.15% increase in public school funding, but a nearly 8.8% decrease in CareerTech funding, according to the Oklahoma State School Boards Association. Public schools will get $3.98 billion, up from $3.86 billion, according to the association. Some other agencies are slated to receive strategic investments for special projects. Some $200 million will go to construct a University of Oklahoma pediatric heart hospital, said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow. Another $250 million is allocated to the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine in an effort to increase the number of animal doctors in the state, Hilbert said. 'It has not been taken care of and it should be an absolute gem for the state of Oklahoma,' Hilbert said. The state also plans to buy the private prison in Lawton for $312 million. The facility currently houses about 2,300 Oklahoma inmates. The budget keeps about $3.5 billion in state savings, Hilbert said. Senate Appropriations Chairman Chuck Hall, R-Perry, said the budget allocates funding to address deferred maintenance at state facilities. It also calls for a $26 million supplemental appropriation for the financially troubled Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. In addition, it gives the agency some funds to finance the provisions of a settlement agreement that the state entered into after being sued for not providing competency restoration services to inmates awaiting trial, said Trey Caldwell, R-Faxon, the House Appropriations and Budget Committee chairman. On the policy side, Republicans said they agreed to create business courts, which are specialized courts that handle commercial litigation matters. They also said they've agreed to reform the state's workers' compensation system and lawsuits. Under the proposed tort reform, lawmakers are expected to propose a cap on damages for pain and suffering, called non-economic damages. A prior cap was deemed unconstitutional. The bills are being drafted and will run through the legislative process, officials said. Hilbert said it was the seventh year he has been involved in the budget process. 'I would say it to me it feels like the smoothest year in terms of budget negotiations amongst the three stools of the House and Senate and governor,' Hilbert said. Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said her party was left out of the process and has some deep concerns about the budget. She said the budget has priorities for big business and corporate giveaways, but doesn't prioritize people and services. 'We don't believe this budget prioritizes people,' she said. Lawmakers must pass a budget before 5 p.m. May 30. Reporters Emma Murphy and Nuria Martinez-Keel contributed to this report. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
