Late last week, Terri Grissom – a professional grant writer who recently resigned from the Oklahoma State of Education – revealed to some local newspapers and lawmakers that Ryan Langston-Walters and the Oklahoma Department of Education have essentially stopped applying for competitive federal grants.
I guess this was newsworthy because A) the state uses these grants to fund various education programs, B) Ryan had recently assured lawmakers that he was still applying for federal grants, and C) Ryan Langston-Walters would never ever lie.
Here are details via The Tulsa World:
A longtime grant writer has shared with legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle claims that State Superintendent Ryan Walters lied to them at a recent public hearing and concerns that current and future federal grant funding for Oklahoma public school students is in jeopardy…
She changed her mind about speaking out on May 1, when she tuned in to watch Walters engage in a Q-and-A with the House Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Education.
“I watched the hearing last week. He lied,” said Grissom, who has worked as a grant writer for 36 years and as a teacher for 11 years before that. “I’m not going to speak about something I don’t know about. I’m only going to speak about statements that I know are 100% untrue. And he spoke many untruths about the status of grants in the agency.”
Even though Ryan Langston-Walters pledged on the campaign trail that he would “refuse all federal education funding,” and not applying for federal grants seems like a great way to make that happen, his right-hand man Matt Langston – the Texas resident who helps set and enact Oklahoma education policy from the wrong side of the Red River – quickly hopped on Twitter to set the record straight…
It is unfortunate that an employee has decided to lie about the agency and it’s activities. This is further evidence to support that @joy4ok is an arsonist and let fires burn out of control in the SDE dumpster. Employees running to the press because they lacked accountability.
— Matt Langston (@MattlangstonTX) May 13, 2023
Whew! It’s a good thing GOP hacks don’t like to project their own insecurity, guilt, and sinister desire when attacking others on the Internet. If that were the case, I’d be worried that Ryan and Matt want to burn down and destroy Oklahoma public education!
Fortunately, as we’ve covered on this website extensively over the past year or so, Ryan and Matt are two honest, noble men of high integrity and character, and simply want what’s best for Oklahoma. They would never conjure up lies to sow misinformation and further divide the Oklahoma people! They always tell the truth!
Here's video of Ryan Walters – the guy running for State School Superintendent in Oklahoma – openly and eagerly spreading the "Litter Box in Schools" hoax, presenting it as a real thing people should be concerned about it. pic.twitter.com/Wbhw7xjc8t
— The Lost Ogle (@TheLostOgle) November 2, 2022
Yeah, a guy who claims students like to poop and pee in kitty litter – or that 40,000 teachers are members of a terrorist organization – would never baselessly attack the character of a long-time state employee who, since 2017, has helped secure over $106-million in competitive federal grants for Oklahoma students:
Grissom said that since being hired in 2017, she wrote grants that have guaranteed Oklahoma about $106 million, but only if all of the work is completed.
Without access to department documentation, she estimated that between $35 million and $40 million of that money is unspent, and she said that if those grant programs are not fully completed, some federal agencies likely will demand repayment of the grants in full.
Asked for an example of a project in jeopardy, Grissom said a grant-funded, three-year project by a vendor called Child Trend to create a searchable map to help local schools easily find mental health providers for student referrals has gone unfinished.
Even though it doesn’t benefit her personally to lie about things, and Ryan and Matt haven’t provided any evidence to refute her claims, who would you believe?
The bosom right-wing buddies who are feverishly working to sabotage save public education from the inside with the help of their wealthy benefactors like Kevin Stitt, Trent Smith, and other members of the Oklahoma chapter of the Young Presidents Organization, or the greedy, sinister state employee who’s trying to secure funding for woke causes like providing mental health care to students?
While you ponder that question, you can read more about what Terri has to say in The Tulsa World or The Oklahoman.
Also, if you’re a current or former employee with the Oklahoma Department of Public Education and/or Harbor Mountain Coffee House and want to spread more “lies” about Ryan and Matt, shoot us an email on The Ogle Mole tipline.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
