After two-plus years of using State Board of Education meetings as an unchecked propaganda pulpit to fight culture wars and push and promote his dystopian, privatized, theocratic version of public education, Ryan Walters was finally challenged by the people who are supposed to challenge him!
In case you missed it, last Thursday Ryan Walters held his first big State Board of Education meeting since Governor Stitt – exploring the erotic kinks and freedoms of his new lame-duck status – sacked three of Ryan’s lemmings and replaced them with people who – despite probably agreeing with Ryan on lots of things – actually want the Board of Education to support Oklahoma students, and not just score Ryan brownie points with the MAGA / Christian Nationalist / God’s Misfits crowd.
Novel concept, huh?
The main gripe of the new board members is that Ryan wouldn’t let them add any items to the meeting agenda. This led to Ryan Deatherage – the 911 director for Kingfisher County – to directly ask Ryan the same question that most Oklahomans ask themselves when reading local news headlines.
Via 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.
Wow! Get Ryan Deatherage a plate of Eischen’s chicken and onions and put it on Stitt's tab! Deatherage may not be the hero Oklahoma wants, but he’s the hero we need!
Okay, maybe I’m overreacting.
I guess you can't blame me. Usually, the only time Ryan is challenged in these meetings is during the public comment section when a Hideaway server chews him out or Sean Cummings goes full Irish stepdad on him!
Even though the new board members’ complaints didn’t have a huge effect on things – for example, Ryan’s new vacation Bible school-inspired social studies standards advanced by a 5-1 margin as opposed to a typical 6-love trouncing – it’s nice to finally see someone with official responsibilities at least pretend to put Oklahoma public school students first and not serve as a blind rubber stamp for private education grifters, Bible manufacturers, and Ryan’s fledgling political career.
Sure, it’s still not as satisfying as seeing a grandma flip him off, but it’s a start!
Ryan Deatherage wasn’t the only boardmember to complain.
The other board members also bitched that Ryan runs the board like his own personal Hell's Misfits. Instead of addressing their concerns, Ryan primarily deferred to his foot soldier, board attorney Chad Kutmas.
Via KJRH:
All three new members tried discussing how to get an item on the agenda, suggesting the board lacks any power if Walters owns control of it.
“If there is only one person who sets the agenda, how does the board get something on the agenda we want to talk about?” asked Tinney.
“If we don’t have the ability to add items to the agenda that we think are important to our oversight responsibility, we can’t perform that function,” said Vandenhende.
“There are statutes that say the superintendent has control over the Board of Education and the board itself,” said Kutmas.
Yep, sorry guys. The statutes say that Ryan has control over the board meetings. Except they don't.
Via The Oklahoman:
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond on Thursday waded into the political feud between Gov. Kevin Stitt and state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, encouraging new State Board of Education members appointed this week by Stitt to exercise “independent judgment” from that of Stitt and Walters…
Drummond said that while the superintendent is a member of the state board, he does not control the board. In Walters’ two years as superintendent, no board member has cast a vote opposite of Walters on any issue.
“This independence from the superintendent and department entitles you to view proposals from the superintendent and Department of Education with curiosity and reasonable skepticism and to exercise your own independent judgment,” Drummond wrote.
Wow. Imagine that. Ryan Walters – along with an attorney who is desperate enough to represent him – may be lying and/or intentionally misinterpreting Oklahoma law for their political benefit. Who would have thought it!
“Whatever, Patrick. You don’t think Gentner Drummond or any other politician would do the same thing?!”
Okay, fair point.
For the most part, Walters seemed to take the complaints and confrontations in cowardly stride, asking his attorney if the board members are allowed to ask him questions, and then giving the same blank expression he emulates whenever he sees a Harbor Mountain Coffee House charge show up on his debit card statement.
But after the meeting, after he had a chance to dry out the urine stains on his trousers, he locked the doors to his office and filmed this message evoking words, phrases, and bullet points from the right-wing propaganda bingo card:
Anyway, although Walters may have escaped this board meeting with his authority intact, it’s nice to know that now, instead of being able to grandstand uninterrupted, he has to face a board that—while far from a progressive dream team—is at least willing to challenge him on some issues.
I can’t wait to see what happens in the next Board Meeting and what Ryan says afterward when he runs to his car to hide and complain about it.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
