Oklahoma State Board of Education approves budget request of $47 million less than last year

The Oklahoma State Board of Education met Thursday and voted unanimously to endorse a legislative budget request that was $47 million less than it received last year.

The board also endorsed state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters' plan to earmark millions in initiatives for teachers and tutors who focus on reading, math, science and civics.

The proposal appeared to catch both the governor and legislative leaders off guard.

Speaker of the House Charles McCall, R-Atoka, could not be reached immediately and Senate Republican leader Greg Treat, of Oklahoma City, declined to comment.

Abegail Cave, a spokesperson for Gov. Kevin Stitt, said the governor had not reviewed the board's budget request, but noted that he had been a strong supporter of increased spending for education and remained determined to make Oklahoma a Top 10 state in education.

Stitt was quoted in a post on X, formerly Twitter, by an Oklahoma City television station.

Stitt told the television station he didn't agree with Walters. "No. I don't think we should cut education at all. ... I didn't hear him, but we're going to continue to invest in our teachers, invest in our schools."

Stitt has called the Legislature into a special session next week with the focus primarily on taxes.

Ryan Walters says legislative budget meant to eliminate indoctrination, alleged outside influence

Walters said the 2024 budget would eliminate indoctrination and push education basics. He said the budget was fiscally responsible.

"When you look at the overall budgetary request, we are requesting a budgets that is no higher than last year," he said. "When we see President Biden pushing this rampant inflation across the country and our state, I don't believe it would be responsible for us to come in after a record investment from the Legislature last year and ask for additional money on what they have already sent to us."

Walters told the board he remained concerned about the alleged influence of the Chinese government on state schools. He also complained that a "radical judge" was forcing some school districts to request changes to some student's birth certificates.

"We found out through certain groups that an investigation had been done and found that the Communist Chinese Party was funneling money to schools as part of a soft power initiative to push propaganda into the West," he said. "We began moving very quickly to see exactly where are these contracts located; how extensive are they. We found an issue with some public schools entering into a contract."

More: Ryan Walters claims Chinese government attempting to influence US schools at DC hearing

Walters said the Education Department began an investigation, asking for contracts and trying to find out how much money had changed hands and "what type of influence was going on there."

Although Walters was not specific, he was apparently repeating an earlier allegation that the Tulsa Public Schools was receiving funding through a contract with an educational organization in Texas that was spreading Chinese propaganda. TPS has disputed that claim, saying that a teacher attended the program at the district's expense.

Group protests Ryan Walters outside of Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting

Thursday's meeting was less boisterous than previous Education Department meetings, though a small crowd arrived early, waiting for access.

By 7 a.m. about 17 people armed with food, foldable chairs and signs, laid claim to a spot just in front the Oliver Hodge Building's glass doors, hoping to get a seat once the doors were opened. One woman, sporting a bright red T-shirt with the slogan 'God's Children are Not For Sale,' greeted the group with an upbeat, "Good Morning Patriots."

Carl Stevens was one of those who arrived early. Stevens said he came to the meeting so he could show his support for Walters. "I like the policies he's put into place," he said.

Stevens said he was concerned that some public school teachers were trying to have sex with young children and urged parents to take their children out of public schools. "I really want to see parents get their kids out of public schools," he said.

Mike Howe, a retired school principal from Tulsa, disagreed.

More: More than 80 employees have left Oklahoma State Department of Education under Ryan Walters

Howe said he was concerned by Walters' actions as state superintendent. He said Walters had politicized the state's education system. Howe said he believed most Oklahoma parents support their public schools and just want to make them better.

"The overwhelming majority of parents do support their public schools," Howe said. "But we need more support for teachers. I think we need to engender some camaraderie between teachers and parents."

Still, Howe said there was plenty of room for improvement. He said class sizes were too big and needed to be reduced. "I've been subbing and I've had classes with 40 fourth-graders," he said. "Thank God it was fourth-graders because they're fun."

Howe said he was still seeing the impact of the pandemic on his students. "Our kids lost two years worth of community building, and now they are coming back together."

By 9 a.m. the crowd had grown to about 50 or so. Most said they were there to support Walters. Dani Legg, whose son was killed 10 years ago when a tornado hit Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, said she wanted to come to the meeting to ask the board why per-pupil student funding didn't follow the students who attended the Oklahoma School for the Deaf or the Oklahoma School for the Blind.

"The fact that the money doesn't follow the kids doesn't make sense to me," she said.

Tim Atkins, a member of the Unitarian Church of Oklahoma City, said he was concerned by Walters' social media posts. "He seems to care more about what people on Twitter think than what Oklahomans think," Atkins said. "All the videos he posts from his car where is ranting about wokeism and what not, that's not helping."

The Oklahoma Legislature, Atkins said, needed to step up and reign in Walters. "I hope that Oklahomans start to realize that our children matter more than Ryan's politics.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: OSDE approves budget request $47 million lower than previous year