Making Oklahoma history is worth our time
When you know Oklahoma history is going to be made, sometimes you’ll drive an hour to the Capitol even for a short a meeting. Of course, I didn’t know the meeting would only last seven minutes but, on the drive back, I was still glad I went. I’ve sat in many meetings for hours before I felt like I was wasting my time.
Today, it was satisfying to see adults of differing backgrounds and opinions come together to work on behalf of all of us even though some Oklahomans may never understand how we got to Room 535 in the State Capitol or why September 3, 2025, may be a pivotal date in public education history. Well, at least we’re off high center now.
At exactly 10 a.m., Board Member Michael Tinney of Norman welcomed more than 50 state officials, news media and other citizens to the first known Special Meeting of the State Board of Education not called by the chair. Though State Superintendent Ryan Walters and two members were absent, three other members – Becky Carson of Edmond, Chris Van Dehende of Tulsa, and Ryan Deatherage of Kingfisher – made the quorum.
Logistics for the meeting required the help of Secretary of Education Nellie Sanders, Commission of Educational Quality and Accountability staff, an attorney from OMES, and House and Senate staff. The unprecedented meeting was held pursuant to state laws cited last week by attorney Bob Burke, who is an Oklahoma historian, published author, and constitutional expert.
Two motions were unanimously approved by the Board:
Contract with Ryan Leonard of Leonard, Long & Cassil, PLLC, to represent the Board in matters outlined by it as approved by the Attorney General 70 O.S. § 20i
Start a process through the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) and the State Department of Education to hire a Board Secretary pursuant to 70 O.S. § 3-104 (A)(2)
The meeting ended with a well-deserved round of applause from the audience. Afterward, I saw reporters interviewing Rep. Dick Lowe, R-Amber, chairman of the House Common Education Committee. Rep. Lowe said he is “hopeful that all sides will come together and work through any problems for our schools and, number 1, for our kids.” Now, I am hopeful as well.
An aside: I didn’t realize until I started typing that this would have been Governor Bellmon’s 104th birthday. Maybe that’s why I felt so compelled to go to the Capitol today. Possibly, because I was getting discouraged, I needed to see that there are still statesmen – like Governor Bellmon – in the public service. Thankfully, statesmen are both female and male but they are also rare. Still, sometimes they come together and make a difference in the future. It happened in 1990, and it could happen again.
