OK: A New Edu-wind Blowing

It may be an overstatement that Ryan Walters damaged the Christian Nationalist brand in Oklahoma, but his successor does seem to be putting energy into cleaning up after the previous state school superintendent. 

The Waters departure was a much of a messy amateur hour as his tenure in office. He left to run an anti-union union called Teacher Freedom Alliance (read more about them here). He made a deal with KOKH, the Oklahoma City Fox affiliate-- let him use their studio to announce his resignation (because of course he needed to do it on the tv), and in return he would answer questions. He immediately reneged on the deal, stomping out while silently ignoring the questions from reporter Wendy Suares. There's video of his departure, complete with Suares pointing the camera person after MAGA dudebro's walk of shame (see below).

The very next day, Walters's old buddy Gentner Drummond called for an investigation into spending at the Department of Education under Walters' leadership. That may be because Drummond repeatedly disagreed with some of Walters's policies and choices, or it may be because Drummond is gearing up for a run at the governor's seat. 

Current Governor Kevin Stitt, who was once a big Walters booster, had also backed away in recent months, including replacing members of the state board with some less-friendly-to-Walters options and expressing a wish for less drama. Walters, in keeping with his general attempts to be a sort of third-generation xerox of Dear Leader, responded by calling names and slinging accusations. The relationship (outlined here by Matt McCabe of News9) was over. 

It's worth noting that Stitt and Drummond are both conservative Republicans, so it will be interesting to see how much they're willing to distance themselves from Walters' brand of MAGA-fied numbskullery. Walters' shadow certainly fell all over the selection of his replacement.

"In my last seven years, it has been clear that the operation of this agency and the well-being of Oklahoma’s students have taken a back seat to the political ambitions of the individual who holds this position,” Stitt said in a statement when naming that replacement.

That replacement is Lindel Fields. Fields is an Oklahoma educator whose online footprint "appears strictly professional and highly focused on education and leadership" says KJRH reporter Erin Christy. Fields is a former superintendent and CEO Tri County Tech, one of the state's technology centers; Fields was at Tri County from 1999 through 2021, when he left to start Your Culture Coach. ("Elevating education leaders and transforming cultures to recruit and retain passionate, loyal team members through world class training.") He has volunteered for The United Way and is a Rotarian. 

He inherits a department that has been hollowed out under Walters's fiery reign, and with that, some lawsuits. The Oklahoma Supreme Court already put a big fat hold on the Walters social studies curriculum, which was loaded with christianist nationalism and election denialism.

The court had also taken up a lawsuit over Walters's plan to stick a Trump Bible in every classroom. The court gave Fields two weeks to decide if he wanted to just withdraw the Bible order and make the whole suit go away. 

Fields took one day. The Bible mandate is over. 

On top of that, Fields appears to be reviewing the rest of Walters's various edicts. Tara Thompson, department spokesperson, talked to KOSU.

There are currently several pending lawsuits against Walters. Thompson said the department is reviewing them and will address them as quickly as possible. They’re also examining several policy statements made by Walters to require action in schools.

“We need to review all of those mandates and provide clarity to schools moving forward,” she said.

In other words, it appears that the department might actually get back to helping teachers do their jobs. It's Oklahoma, so I don't imagine the department is going to turn all squishy liberal any time soon. But it sure seems like the atmosphere has changed considerably.

Walters was on Twitter expressing his big sad that he "could not be more disappointed" in the decision. "The war on Christianity is real," he wrote in his trademark hyperbole disconnected from reality. He's speaking this weekend at the Moms For Liberty summit, on a panel with Aaron Withe (his boss from Freedom Foundation) and Corey DeAngelis about how the evil unions took over schools. That summit is in Florida, putting him far far away from Oklahoma, which seems like what is best for Oklahoma's schools.