Forcing the Bible into classrooms isn’t the only bad idea Ryan Walters has!
Now that he’s been passed over by the Trump Administration and has had some time to cry and pout about it, Ryan Walters – the Chief Lib Sticker and Agitator-intendant of Oklahoma Public Education – is resuming his mission to shine the spotlight on himself at all times by announcing a grand plan to require public school superintendents to be elected by voters.
He’s doing this because of, you know, wokes, radical teacher unions, porn in schools, etc., et al., whatever.
Via a press release:
Today, State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced a proposal that would require the election of public school district superintendents in Oklahoma. Under current state law, district superintendents are hired and contracted by local school boards.
“We have seen rogue school administrators ignore the will of the parents and taxpayers in their district to inject pornography into schools, cover up the sexual misconduct of teachers, allow students to lick each other’s toes, and even be arrested for public intoxication on school grounds,” said Walters. “Parents are rightfully horrified by this kind of misconduct, and it’s time to put parents in control over their neighborhood schools by giving voters a direct way to hold superintendents accountable. I will never back down to the unions and the woke mob that exerts undue influence over our schools, and I know Oklahoma parents won’t either.”
Due to the ongoing, entrenched influence of radical teacher union agendas, many superintendents across the state continue to defy the reforms implemented under conservative leadership. The only way to ensure accountability for public school leaders who control major aspects of public education is to require an election by voters.
Boy, it sure is good to know that Ryan is still finally taking his job seriously and doing whatever it takes to improve public education in Oklahoma, huh?
My only question is, why stop there?!
If we’re going to start electing superintendents, we should probably take things to the next level and hold elections for teachers, too!
Not only will that give parents the ultimate say, but just think of all the extra money we could make in political advertising!
Seriously, how do we make this happen?
Sure, we live in a representative democracy where the people elect school board members to vet and hire superintendents, who then hire principals, who then hire teachers, but what’s the fun in having a cohesive system that works?
We need the public to politicize and micromanage these complex, nuanced decisions. I mean, just look at how great Oklahoma voters are at electing people!
The legitimate Oklahoma media took Ryan’s request for superintendent elections very seriously, and I can’t blame them.
I’m sure Ryan will find some right-wing lawmaker—who will probably be arrested for some sick crime in a year or two—to introduce a bill in the upcoming legislative session.
However, based on what some Republican lawmakers told The Oklahoman, I doubt the bill will go very far:
Rep. Mike Osburn, R-Edmond, a member of the House Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Education, called the suggestion "another example of Ryan Walters’ desire to get clicks instead of improving student outcomes.
"School boards are elected, and they pick the superintendent for their district," Osburn said. "Rather than focusing on outcomes, he’s just trying to sow seeds of conflict with hard-working superintendents, which is simply and unnecessarily disruptive. None of this will bring us up from dead last in the nation in ACT scores and student outcomes. I wish he would focus on the job he was elected to, rather than trying to score political points for who knows what. The voters of Oklahoma and their kids deserve better."
…
Rep. Danny Sterling, R-Tecumseh, said he viewed Walters’ proposal as a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. He said the process of selecting a school superintendent is complex, and an elected candidate might not even have the credentials, knowledge, or experience in the educational system.
"Currently, when a superintendent is employed by a school district, more times than not, they are vetted by the school board, a teachers’ committee, etc., to make sure they will be both qualified for the job and a good fit for that district," said Sterling, who’s also a member of the House Education Committee and a former high school principal. "This is not necessarily a 'one size fits all' position."
Yep, it’s official. Even your hard-core right-wing nuts in the legislature think entrusting dumb Oklahoma voters to elect superintendents is a bad idea!
Or maybe the teacher-union-woke-mob-kitty-litter-drag-queens got to them first? Who knows.
Either way, we’ll continue to follow and monitor Ryan’s bad ideas. In the meantime…
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
