Nearly four years after their arrests, the criminal case against Epic Charter Schools’ founders took a step forward Thursday. Oklahoma County Special Judge Jason Glidewell concluded prosecutors presented enough evidence for nearly all of the charges against David Chaney, 47, and Ben Harris, 50, to move forward to trial. Prosecutors in 2022 charged Chaney and […]
Education
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Senate kills Stitt-backed proposal to make state superintendent appointed role
A proposal that could make the state’s top education office an appointee of the governor, rather than an elected position, has failed in the state Senate. House Joint Resolution 1055, which would put the idea to a vote of the people, failed to receive a Senate committee hearing before a deadline last week, despite calls […]
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Oklahoma House proposal would add 7 school days for $175 million
House lawmakers proposed extending Oklahoma’s minimum school year by seven days and pledged $175 million to make it happen. House Bill 3151 passed off the House floor 62-28 Wednesday evening and heads to the Senate, where leadership has endorsed the measure. The bill is the first firm proposal from the House this session for increasing public […]
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Behind the Rankings: How WalletHub Determined Oklahoma is 50th in Education
Oklahoma’s 50th-place finish on WalletHub’s ranking on states’ education systems got everyone talking. But a closer look finds some of their measures spot-on, some are misleading and others are flat-out wrong.
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Education Audit
A long-awaited special audit of the Oklahoma State Department of Education found no misuse of taxpayer funds under former state Superintendent Joy Hofmeister. State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd released the findings during a news conference Wednesday. Gov. Kevin Stitt requested the audit in 2021 while at odds with Hofmeister, who was term-limited in 2023. […]
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Stitt names new state superintendent, team to lead Oklahoma education ‘turnaround’
While announcing wholesale changes at the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed a retired CareerTech administrator to lead the agency along with a “turnaround team” of officials from across the state. Lindel Fields is Stitt’s choice to lead that turnaround as state superintendent, replacing Ryan Walters who resigned from the position on […]
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Oklahoma State Board of Education calls its own meeting after Walters ‘refused to schedule’
In a rare move, a majority of the Oklahoma State Board of Education has scheduled its own meeting without the consent of state Superintendent Ryan Walters, who board members say has refused to cooperate. The decision comes a day after Walters abruptly canceled a meeting with the board that was meant to take place Thursday. […]
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Walters’ ‘America First’ teacher test could overstep Oklahoma law, state agency leader says
The Oklahoma State Department of Education likely would contradict state law if it implements an ideological test for teachers coming from certain states, said the leader of another state agency that oversees teacher assessments. Requiring an “America First” assessment for teachers moving from progressive states like California and New York, as state Superintendent Ryan Walters […]
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The Supreme Court Had Classroom Culture Wars on Top of Mind in Oral Arguments
Classroom culture wars permeated oral arguments at the Supreme Court on Wednesday in a case that could change the boundary between church and state. The court heard arguments for Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond, which could allow the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School to contract with the state of Oklahoma and […]
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Black Sky Affair
Jiminy Cricket was wrong. When you wish upon a star, it does make a difference who you are. Okay, maybe that’s a trifle harsh. The whens and the wheres, though, are vital bits of info for all of us celestially curious if we mean to catch that next eclipse or planetary alignment. We’re here to […]