Asked to explain his decision to replace four of six State Board of Education members, Gov. Kevin Stitt’s office said Wednesday that two now-former members actually resigned recently and “It’s a new day.”
About 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, which was the second day of Stitt’s second term and second day in office for new state Superintendent Ryan Walters, the Governor’s Office issued a press release announcing four new board appointees.
The only members carrying over into Stitt’s second term are his two most recent appointments to the board, Trent Smith and Sarah Lepak.
The after-hours press release offered no explanation for the decision, so the Tulsa World followed up Wednesday. Kate Vesper, a spokeswoman for Stitt, revealed two replacements occurred because of new vacancies — as former board member Brian Bobek actually resigned on Dec. 17 and former member Jennifer Monies followed suit on Dec. 29.
People are also reading…
“The members of the board are appointed, selected and serve at the pleasure of the governor. The former board members were all appointed by Governor Stitt, and he is thankful for their service to the state,” Vesper said. “It’s a new day in the Stitt administration. We are eager to have a board who shares the governor’s vision to put parents first, break out of our bottom ranking in education, and give every student across the state — regardless of economic status or zip code — the opportunity to attend a school that fits their unique needs.”
The Governor’s Office did not respond specifically when asked why Stitt retained Lepak and Smith rather than replace all six of his appointees.
Smith has now been appointed to represent Congressional District 5, replacing Jennifer Monies. Smith previously served as the board member for Congressional District 3, but recent redistricting changed his residency.
Donald Burdick, chief executive officer of Olifant Energy II, replaces Carlisha Williams Bradley in the District 1 seat.
When reached Wednesday afternoon, Williams Bradley said she was notified earlier in the week that she would not be reappointed.
“My term was slated to end this year,” she told the Tulsa World. “My departure wasn’t necessarily a surprise, but I appreciate the opportunity to serve in this capacity. I’m looking forward to finding new ways to be an advocate for public education.”
For Congressional District 3, Marla Hill, a home school teacher of her five children, will replace Smith.
For Congressional District 4, Kendra Wesson, owner of Operation Accounting Inc. in Norman, will replace Brian Bobek. Wesson ran for election to District 46 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives but lost with 45.5% of the vote in the Nov. 8 general election to 54.5% for incumbent Democrat Jacob Rosecrants.
Suzanne Reynolds, a licensed pharmacist who has served in higher education at different universities, including the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, will serve as the at-large member. That leaves Estela Hernandez, who has served as the at-large member, as no longer on the state board, although she was not mentioned by name in the governor’s press release.
Reynolds offered public comments at the July State Board of Education meeting in support of a Tulsa teacher who filed a House Bill 1775 complaint against Tulsa Public Schools and urged the board to assess the “strongest possible penalty.” That complaint resulted in state sanctions against TPS’ accreditation status.
Walters, the newly elected state superintendent, serves as the chief executive officer of the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the voting chairman of the state Board of Education.
“I am looking forward to serving with the new proposed state board,” he tweeted Tuesday evening after Stitt’s press release went out. “We have big items that we are going to tackle this year and our top priority is ensuring that kids, teachers, and parents are well served.”
He is a former McAlester High School teacher who left the teaching profession in 2019 to work in education policy advocacy for an initiative of the State Chamber of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. He later became CEO of Oklahoma City-based Every Kid Counts Oklahoma, a nonprofit fully backed by national school privatization and charter school expansion advocates.
Stitt appointed Walters as his secretary of education in 2020 to act as liaison to various state education boards and commissions, including the Oklahoma State Board of Education, various higher education boards of regents and trustees, the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability and the CareerTech board. He will continue in that advisory role to the governor during Stitt’s second term.
Stitt championed Walters’ 2022 candidacy for state superintendent and in November, he defeated Democratic challenger Jena Nelson to succeed Joy Hofmeister, who was term-limited.
Staff writer Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton contributed to this story.
Featured video:
Suzanne Reynolds offered this public comment during the July 28, 2022, meeting of the Oklahoma State Board of Education, as seen in this recording from the official state video livestream. On Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced he has appointed Reynolds as a member of the board.
