Governor replaces absent member of Oklahoma State Board of Education

After being absent for the first two months of her tenure, a new member of the Oklahoma State Board of Education will be replaced with another appointee.

Marla Hill resigned on Tuesday from her seat on the state's top school board representing Congressional District 3.

"The demands of my mother’s health needs require constant care," Hill wrote in an email to the governor's office. "Thank you for your understanding. I pray for the children and State of Oklahoma to flourish."

Gov. Kevin Stitt announced on Thursday that Katie Quebedeaux, of Guymon, will succeed Hill. Quebedeaux is the director of administration and marketing at Faith Learning Center, a child care center in Guymon. She taught for five years at Northridge Christian School.

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"I am honored to accept this appointment and eager to work with my fellow Oklahomans to ensure every student in our state has access to a quality education that fosters intellectual curiosity and a life-long love of learning," Quebedeaux said in a statement.

The governor chose Hill, a home-schooling parent and business owner, for the position in January, but she didn't attend either of the two board meetings that took place since her appointment. She was never sworn into office as a result.

State Election Board records show Hill is registered to vote in Kingfisher County, where she and her husband own The Cedar Gate, a rustic venue and shooting center.

However, Oklahoma County property records show the Hills own a $1.3 million home in Edmond outside of Congressional District 3.

“I appreciate Marla’s willingness to serve the state and wish her nothing but the best,” Stitt said in a statement.

Hill did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday evening.

State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters said after the board's most recent meeting Feb. 23 that he didn't know the reason she didn't attend.

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Hill sought out a position on the state Board of Education after taking an interest in "the fast pace of bold Marxist ideologies prevalent in the public schools," according to the Oklahoma State Department of Education website.

"She began to study the methods of this advance and how America went from teaching the American dream of accepting responsibility, work hard, dream big and take a risk to that of a timid, fear-based, victim mentality that chooses entitlements over creativity and ingenuity," the website states in Hill's biographical information.

Quebedeaux's appointment is pending state Senate confirmation.

She earned a bachelor's degree in 2009 from Oklahoma Panhandle State University and received a child development associate degree in 2018 from Northern Oklahoma College.

Reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel covers K-12 and higher education throughout the state of Oklahoma. Have a story idea for Nuria? She can be reached at nmartinez-keel@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @NuriaMKeel. Support Nuria’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State Board of Education member replaced after absence