School Supt. Ryan Walters is at the forefront once again and Oklahoma lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are demanding an investigation into an incident which reportedly occurred at a closed meeting recently of the State Board of Education.
This comes in light of late last week of the report that Oklahoma now ranks 50th in education in the nation and Walters announcing plans to bring a virtual charter school into Oklahoma from Arizona that is being banned in that state due to failing grades.
Why does it seem it that our superintendent tries to focus more on causing controversy than he does in solving the problems to improve the state’s educational system?
These latest allegations sound serious, but it’s too early to tell if they can be substantiated by the investigations that are sought. Lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, are seeking and want to know about the allegations brought by two State Education Board members that they saw nudity on a TV in Walters’ office.
Over the weekend, the controversy fired up and Sunday Walters issued an adamant denial to them.
Late last week, he announced he was partnering with the American Virtual Academy located in Arizona. That bought an immediate outcry from legislators, both Democrats and Republicans, claiming that the school can’t operate in the state because a state school must operate in Oklahoma.
They have stated the law is very clear. They have pointed out that American Virtual Academy has an Oklahoma address which is a PO Box but is not physically located in the state.
Officials say the school has been operating in Arizona a few years but is in the process of being banned after at least three consecutive years of failing grades.
That school reportedly used $24 million in salary of Arizona taxpayer dollars, causing one lawmakers to state that “it it walks like a duck it sounds like a duck.”
Why Walters or anyone else would want to bring to Oklahoma an Academy that has experienced failing grades for three years and is being banned from another state because of it to this state which is now ranked 50th in the nation is beyond us.
It’s crucial that investigators determine what is really going on here. A solution must be found to bring Oklahoma’s educational ranking out of the doldrums of the bottom Students, parents, the public in general all deserve far better.
Think back to last year, when Walters attempted to order some library books be jerked out of the Edmond School District which brought a lawsuit and the State Supreme Court overruled him, saying that decision lied within local school boards.
He gave some teachers bonuses, then ordered they pay them back. What a fiasco that caused.
He threw his entire support behind the proposed State Isidore Charter School case which went clear to the U.S. Supreme Court and was rejected.
Oklahomans deserve far better than Ryan Walters as its superintendent.