Latest news with #VanDenhende
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- 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
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
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate confirms nomination of Van Denhende to OSBE
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – After being compared to a former Soviet Union leader and asked several times if he supports Superintendent Ryan Walters, Chris Van Denhende was confirmed as a nominee to the Board of Education. 'I fear that we have moved from a republic to a direct democracy, where it is, 'Do exactly as I say or else,'' said Senate Education Chair Adam Pugh (R-Edmond). Pugh said a mass of emails came to those in the Education Committee urging lawmakers not to confirm Van Denhende's nomination. At one point, comparing Van Denhende to former Soviet Union leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. 'My email said we were literally confirming Mikhail Gorbachev to the State Board of Education, and that's insane,' said Senator Pugh. Gov. Stitt nominates fourth new State Board of Education member in three months 'Apparently, there was something that went out to bombard the Senate Education Committee on my nomination today. I overnight became a green woke Marxist,' said Van Denhende. Senator Dusty Deevers (R-Elgin) grilled Van Denhende for almost an hour, and many questions were asked about whether or not he supports Superintendent Ryan Walters. 'Do you personally disagree with Superintendent Walters' approach to education?' asked Senator Deevers. Van Denhende is one of the new Governor Stitt-appointed board members. He is one of the first board members to speak out against Superintendent Walters. The previous board members never said no to anything that Walters put on the agenda to vote on. The law states that the superintendent decides what goes on each agenda, and the board members vote on it. Senator Pugh questioned the way he has seen the board operate. 'Six board members, never disagree about anything?' asked Senator Pugh. 'That sort of was the kick off, I guess, to my controversy because I pushed back on Superintendent Walters,' said Van Dehende. Van Denhende was approved as the nominee in a 9-to-2 vote. There are still three other board members expected to have hearings next week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stitt-appointed OSBE members clash with Supt. Walters
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Thursday marked the first board meeting for the State Board of Education members appointed by Governor Stitt, and it was a clash with Superintendent Ryan Walters. 'Why am I here?' asked new board member, Ryan Deatherage, when it was confirmed that they didn't determine new items to go on agendas and that essentially, it was up to Supt. Walters. The meeting started with new board member, Chris Van Denhende, voicing his concern with Walters' recent rule of counting undocumented students. OSDE posts Request for Proposal for suppliers of Bible-based curriculum 'I'm concerned about the immigration status issue because we've had a lot of pushback from parents. I would respectfully request until we get all the information sorted out from the AG that we suspend all activities related to immigration,' said Van Denhende during the meeting. The attorney that was put in place by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond informed him that his concern was not on the agenda, so they could not discuss that. The meeting then went on to give a presentation on the new Oklahoma Science and Social Studies Standards. These standards have brought controversy as they mention the Bible almost 50 times, and focus on religion. However, the presentation that was given did not mention that fact or mention the Bible once. In the end, the standards were approved, but for the first time, a board member voted 'No' to an agenda item, that board member being Deathrage. The standards will make their way to the legislators before being officially passed. He wanted to know how they can bring about new items for future agendas, essentially the superintendent has all the power when it comes to that. Deatherage brought up an article from The Oklahoman that outlines the rules when it comes to what the new members can do. According to the state website, 'The Superintendent of Public Instruction, Chief of Staff, and Senior Leadership at the OSDE are accountable for the agency's data governance structure, resourcing, and policy approval and implementation.' Deatherage and Van Denhende seemingly expressed concern surrounding the fact. 'I brought up an item that was rejected at the beginning of the meeting that wasn't on the agenda, and I want to be involved in that conversation,' said Van Denhende, talking about the counting of undocumented students. 'I will always stand with President Trump and enforce his executive orders, especially when it comes to illegal immigration,' said Supt. Walters. Supt. Walters posted on his 'X' social media page instead of answering questions from the press and said that the new board members '..tried to undermine our immigration rules that align with President Trump. They wanted us to align with the Biden Administration. Allowing illegal immigration to continue without any kind of accounting.' That's not what happened. The new board members were appointed by Governor Stitt as a form of accountability for Supt. Walters. At the time, Stitt told Walters to do his job and to 'Stop the needless political drama.' In a response to News 4, Stitt said after the meeting Thursday, 'I'm grateful to all the members of the State Board of Education for fighting for transparency and accountability for Oklahoma students, parents, and teachers. Nothing is more important than making sure Oklahomans have the best education possible—and I believe we're heading in the right direction. 'We're dealing with kids; leave the kids alone. And deal with the people that need to be dealt with,' said Van Denhende to the press after the meeting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
