By John Dobberstein, Editor
Gov. Kevin Stitt announced his choice Thursday to fill the vacancy left by Supt. of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, as he named Lindel Fields to the post and also introduced a “turnaround team” to set the future direction of the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE).
In a nod to the political drama surrounding OSDE in recent years, Stitt also asked legislators to send to the ballot appointment authority for the next governor to appoint the superintendent of schools, rather than the job being chosen by voters, to “really focus on the kids’ reading and math and getting kids ready for the workforce, instead of running for the next office.”
Stitt said only 12 states in the U.S. are electing their superintendents of public instruction and there has been no documented difference in outcomes at the educational level. Stitt has previously said when he came into office he did not realize the state superintendent of schools was an elected position.
“There has always been misalignment between the governor and superintendent. At best we had parallel agendas with little coordination,” Stitt said. “This has been a long struggle, and it’s held Oklahoma back from being a top 10. We can and should change that.”
Members of the turnaround team introduced by Stitt are Dan Hamlin, Connie Reilly, Megan Oftedal, Kristin Stephens, Tom Newell, Tara Thompson and Nellie Sanders. Thompson currently serves as chief communications officer for the Broken Arrow Public Schools and will not be leaving that role, but serving as an advisor in strategic communications for fields and the team.
“I am honored to serve in this advisory role if I can help with the improvement of public education in our state,” Thompson said Thursday. “The next 15 months of discovery and clean-up will be extraordinarily hard work, but working together with his new team, I believe Mr. Fields can make significant, positive changes. Initial efforts will be focused on listening well, connecting with all audiences, and strategizing ways we can rebuild trust and operational efficiency within the State Department of Education.”
Fields is a veteran educator with over 30 years of experience in Oklahoma’s CareerTech system. He began his career in 1991 as an educator at the Dick Conner Correctional Center and was quickly promoted to director of instruction, overseeing correctional training programs statewide.
He later served as assistant director at Central Tech before joining Tri County Technology Center in 1999, where he became superintendent and CEO in 2009.
Under his leadership, Stitt’s office said, Tri County Tech earned national recognition for innovation, student achievement, and organizational culture. Fields retired in 2021.
In the wake of Walters’ departure, there are plenty of challenges at OSDE to sort through. Earlier this week, Attorney General Gentner Drummond requested that State Auditor Cindy Byrd conduct a forensic audit of the department over concerns with misspent funding.
Fields said his three biggest priorities with OSDE will be improving read proficiency, boosting teacher recruitment and retention and enhancing career pathways for high school graduates.
“Turning around a ship takes time, but in the next 15 months we can calm the waters, rebuild trust and lay a strong foundation for the future of Oklahoma schools,” Fields said.
In other developments, Stitt said Secretary of Education Nellie Sanders would be stepping down to fight for the students of Oklahoma in the private sector,” and that he would be appointing Hamlin to the job. Hamlin is a presidential professor in education policy and faculty director at the Oklahoma Center for Education Policy at the University of Oklahoma.
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