Steele and Bingman Join Forces In Effort to Reform Board of Education

House Speaker Kris Steele announced today that he and Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman have co-authored legislation to reform the State Board of Education.

“As a statewide-elected official chosen by the citizens of Oklahoma, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi must be allowed to hire her own staff and implement promised reform at the Department of Education,” said Steele, R-Shawnee. “Senate Bill 718 will give her that authority. It is important to advance this necessary reform so we can truly begin the important work of improving Oklahoma schools to benefit all children of this state.”

Under Senate Bill 718, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction would have clear operational control of the Oklahoma Department of Education while the State Board of Education would continue to have an advisory role in supervision of the public school system.

While the board’s recent refusal to approve the hiring of qualified personnel at the agency has generated the most controversy and headlines, the group has established a pattern of behavior that led legislative leaders to immediately advance the reform measures.
Among other things, the board has:

• voted to divert $18 million from the teachers’ retirement system last summer violating an executive order from former Democratic Gov. Brad Henry. The board did not reverse course until former Democratic Attorney General Drew Edmondson issued a formal opinion declaring the fund shift illegal.
• violated guidelines over the use of federal stimulus funds and, after redirecting the funds for purposes authorized by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, failed to provide correct reporting guidelines to schools using the money; and
• failed to approve a budget work program that complies with former Gov. Brad Henry’s executive order 2010-26, issued last June. As a result, the Department of Education has been operating on temporary allotments.

“Under current law, an unelected board has the ability to thwart the will of the voters,” Steele said. “It is imperative that state government be responsive to the voice of Oklahoma citizens, and I believe this reform will provide a clear line of accountability at the agency.”

Location:NE 63rd St,Oklahoma City,United States