Latest news with #Tinney
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Oklahoma Senate confirms Gov. Kevin Stitt's four new state Board of Education nominees
The Oklahoma State Board of Education officially has four new members handpicked by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt as he overhauled the board. The Senate confirmed Stitt's nominations of Michael Tinney, Chris Van Denhende, Ryan Deatherage and Becky Carson to the board without debate on Tuesday, May 27. The board governs the Oklahoma State Department of Education and sets policies for K-12 public schools. While Carson was confirmed to the board by a 47-0 vote, the other three nominees all received some pushback from the far-right wing of the Senate's Republican caucus. Tinney, from Norman, was confirmed by a 36-11 vote. Van Denhende, from Tulsa, advanced on a 32-15 vote, and Deatherage, from Kingfisher, by a 33-15 vote. The education board is chaired by Republican state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, but the governor has the power to appoint its six other members. Stitt shook up the board's membership in February, saying it was due to 'ongoing controversy' at the Oklahoma State Department of Education and disappointing standardized test scores. The move also came as Stitt and Walters were increasingly at odds over a wide range of policies, including Walters' proposal to require schools to not just ask for the immigration status of students, but also of their parents. Stitt named Tinney, Deatherage and Van Denhende to the board on Feb. 11 to replace three sitting members. He named a fourth new member, Carson, from Edmond, to fill an open seat on April 28. Walters, who sets the board's agenda, had received no pushback from the board on multiple controversial decisions during his first two years in office, such as issuing a statewide Bible-teaching mandate. That's changed since Stitt appointed Tinney, Deatherage and Van Denhende to the board. During three meetings, the three men have challenged Walters on multiple occasions. Tinney's nomination drew additional interest when the senator from his home district, Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, declined to carry his nomination, citing her friendship with the board member Tinney replaced, Kendra Wesson. In similar situations, the Senate president pro tempore can carry a nomination, which that title holder, Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, initially declined to do before reversing course before Tinney's confirmation hearing in the Senate Education Committee. Standridge was among the group of senators voting against Tinney's nomination. Van Denhende's confirmation hearing included fiery statements from Paxton, Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, and Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, the committee's chair, who all decried an email campaign aimed at derailing the nomination. The emails sent to Republican members of the committee compared Van Denhende to the former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, and included personal attacks against Van Denhende and his family. Senators also criticized an anonymous conservative blog post opposing the nomination. Other nominations approved without opposition by the Senate included: • Dennis Casey of Morrison to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Casey, a former lawmaker, district superintendent and championship-winning football coach, has spent the past five years on the board that governs Oklahoma's 25 public colleges and universities and currently serves as its chair. He'll now serve a full nine-year term. • Tracy Poole of Tulsa to the OSU/A&M Board of Regents, which governs Oklahoma State University along with Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami and Connors State College in Warner. Poole, a venture capitalist, will serve an eight-year term. Poole is the founder and managing partner of FortySix Venture Capital in Tulsa. • G. Rainey Williams of Oklahoma City to the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents. Williams will serve a seven-year term. He is president of Oklahoma City-based Marco Capital Group, an investment partnership, and serves as chair of the University Hospitals Authority and Trust and the chair of OU Health. The OU board oversees OU campuses in Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa as well as Rogers State University in Claremore and Cameron University in Lawton. • Connie Reilly of Okemah to the Regional University System of Oklahoma board. The vote extended Reilly's tenure on the board, which governs six universities: the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford and East Central University in Ada. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Senate confirms four nominees to state Board of Education
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Oklahoma Senate approves governor's new education board members
Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, left, sits next to Oklahoma State Board of Education member Mike Tinney, right, before supporting Tinney's confirmation during a Senate Education Committee meeting May 20, 2025, at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday confirmed Gov. Kevin Stitt's four new appointees to the State Board of Education along with picks for several other state leadership posts. With no discussion, senators approved the appointments of Mike Tinney, of Norman, Christopher K. Van Denhende, of Tulsa, Ryan A. Deatherage, of Kingfisher, and Becky Y. Carson, of Edmond, to serve on the state board tasked with governing the state's public school system. Gov. Kevin Stitt in February removed three prior members from the board and criticized them for creating 'needless political drama' following their vote requiring schools to collect students' immigration status. Stitt then named Deatherage, Tinney and Van Denhende to fill the vacancies, saying the board needed fresh eyes. State Superintendent Ryan Walters accused Stitt of firing the three former board members for political purposes. The three booted members had voted in line with Walters since he took office in January 2023. They approved Walters' budget requests, which included $3 million to spend on Bibles, along with controversial new rules that would require the student citizenship checks and require teachers to pass a naturalization test in order to be licensed. During the session, the Republican-controlled Legislature rejected all three proposals. In April, Stitt appointed Carson, a retired educator, to fill a seat representing Congressional District 5 that has been vacant for two years. Walters and six members appointed by the governor make up the board. During the committee vetting process, some Republican senators objected to Stitt's decision to overhaul the board's membership. Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, carried Tinney's nomination after his hometown senator, Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, declined to do so. Standridge told some media outlets she was friends with Kendra Wesson, who served on the board before being booted. In other business, the Senate confirmed John Budd of Oklahoma City to serve as the Department of Commerce CEO. Richard L. Rose of Oklahoma City was confirmed as Office of Management and Enterprise Services director. Jeffrey Cartmell of Edmond was approved to serve as Department of Human Services director. Timothy N. Tardibono of Oklahoma City was confirmed as Office of Juvenile Affairs executive director. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
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
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
USA Today
15-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Notre Dame baseball star named a semifinalist for a top national award
Notre Dame baseball star named a semifinalist for a top national award It has been quite the season for Notre Dame baseball's catcher Carson Tinney, and he is getting recognized nationally for his elite play. The sophomore leads the team in batting average with a .352 mark, slugging with an absurd .752, homers with 15, and RBI with 49. Tinney has been great behind the dish as well, posting a .990 fielding percentage. That led the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association to name him as a semifinalist for the 2025 Dick Howser Trophy, given out annually to the best player in college baseball. It's a huge honor for Tinney, who has taken a huge leap in his second season in South Bend. The future is very bright for Tinney, as he most likely will be playing his final season of collegiate baseball next year before getting taken in the MLB draft. He's already outplayed his recruiting ranking, and will look to continue his great play as the Irish try and make the NCAA Tournament over the next two weeks.
