By Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY — Following complaints from the Oklahoma State Board of Education, lawmakers introduced legislation to limit the state superintendent’s control over the board’s operations.
Rep. Ronny Johns, R-Ada, repurposed House Bill 1491 with new language that would allow board members, not only the state superintendent, to place items on their meeting agendas. Leaders of the House and Senate, as well as Gov. Kevin Stitt, endorsed the measure.
“No one member should unilaterally control a board, especially one that directly impacts the outcomes of our students,” Stitt said Wednesday.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ office didn’t immediately return a request for comment Wednesday morning.
Three members whom Stitt appointed last month complained that they had no control over the topics they’re able to discuss during meetings.
One of the members, Chris Vandenhende, said he wanted to schedule a meeting and vote to “suspend all activity related to immigration.” The board in January had agreed to submit rules to the state Legislature that would have schools report students’ immigration status.
The governor, who pledged to block the immigration rule, appoints all members of the state Board of Education except for the state superintendent, who is elected and acts as chairperson of the board. The board oversees the state’s public education system and the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
The House Education Oversight Committee unanimously approved Johns’ amended bill on Wednesday, advancing it to a potential vote by the full House. Originally, the bill focused on teacher certification penalties before Johns replaced the language.
The bill would allow any two state Board of Education members to place an item on a meeting agenda if they submit the request in writing. Currently, the state superintendent decides the meeting agendas as the chairperson of the board.
Oklahoma administrative codes require the board to follow Roberts’ Rules of Order, which advises that a board’s chairperson should set meeting agendas. Johns said the state board has followed this procedure for decades. State law largely forbids a public board from taking up any matters not posted on its agenda.
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said board members should have a say, and it’s a “longstanding issue that needs to be fixed.”
Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, said the new legislation would reinforce transparency and accountability in the education system by giving all board members a voice on the matters they meet to discuss.
“With the current structure, the board is neutralized and has no say in shaping policy,” Paxton said in a statement. “Allowing this will provide a fair and more effective structure.”
