Oklahoma lawmakers want to rein in Ryan Walters-led agency. Here's how

State lawmakers made an opening move in a power play over the executive branch Tuesday in the ongoing fight over public school policy.

One of the bills that advanced from committee would add four seats to the Oklahoma State Board of Education — two seats each would be appointed by House and Senate leadership. Senate Bill 1395 can now be heard on the Senate floor.

House Bill 3550 would give the Oklahoma Legislature final authority over whether to deny or withdraw a school's accreditation, instead of the Board of Education having that authority.

A third bill, Senate Bill 520, was scheduled Tuesday until the author withdrew it from consideration. That bill would have moved the entire accreditation standards process out of the Oklahoma State Department of Education and into another agency outside of state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters' control.

While the bills' authors didn't directly mention the ongoing tension between lawmakers and the Walters-led Board of Education, it's hard to ignore the fact that the board's treatment of school accreditation has been controversial. Last year, Walters threatened the accreditation of Tulsa Public Schools over its performance, but the challenge was criticized by others who felt Walters' had a political motivation for turning his sights on the district.

Walters then threatened to reopen the accreditation of Western Heights Public Schools after he found out that one of the district's principals was performing as a drag queen in his private life.

And just this month, Edmond Public Schools went to court after Walters' Education Department threatened to lower its accreditation status because of two high school library books that included passages Walters deemed to be pornographic.

Senate Bill 1395 passed the Senate Education Committee by a vote of 12-1.

"This is the largest single appropriated agency, and I felt it was important to have some legislative oversight," said the author and committee chair, state Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond.

More legislative control over accreditation decisions

Across the rotunda, the House Education Committee advanced House Bill 3550 by Tecumseh Republican Danny Sterling.

"Taking away a district's accreditation is a major decision that affects our local taxpayers, and this bill would just allow the Legislature to have some say before a local district would ultimately lose that accreditation," Sterling said.

One of the two lawmakers who voted against the bill in committee, state Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, questioned whether doing so could inject more politics into accreditation decisions.

"Since the Legislature is elected, would you say that we will be making that accreditation decision more or less political, if we move it to an elected body?" Caldwell asked.

Sterling disagreed, saying that decisions would still be made based on the merits of each individual school district.

Accreditation standards reform bill pulled

Those wanting reform at the Education Department didn't get everything they wanted Tuesday, though. Another of Pugh's proposals found in Senate Bill 520 was pulled from consideration after Pugh said he received "feedback" from his colleagues, suggesting he may not have had the votes for it to pass.

It's unlikely that Pugh's Education Committee will meet again before this week's deadline, so his bill is probably dead this session.

The bill would completely change who has the authority to make decisions about school accreditation standards. It would remove the accreditation standards division from the state Education Department and place it under control of the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability.

Pugh said he's been working for years on reforming the accreditation process to reduce the burden of paperwork felt by school districts. He also hinted at the controversial decisions made by Walters and the Education Department.

"I worry that we're justifying bureaucracy when it meets our needs, and not when it doesn't," Pugh said, evoking contemporary conservative battles against federal agencies like the Department of Justice, IRS and Border Patrol.

"But if we happen to like the agency, then we just say, 'Well, that's OK, we can weaponize this agency,'" Pugh said. "I've always tried to stand on solid policy and principle, and I just think that's a dangerous way for us to do business."

Pugh reminded his committee that they've "done a lot of good conservative things."

"But unfortunately, I've been called a lot of non-conservative things just because I have a piece of legislation that thinks there's maybe a better way for us to govern," he said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma lawmakers want to rein in State Board of Education