House Democrats Call for Investigation of Superintendent Walters

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The Oklahoma House Democratic Caucus has renewed calls for Speaker Charles McCall to launch an investigation into Superintendent Walters. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, only the House of Representatives can present evidence to support impeachment procedures.

The news broke simultaneously as school districts announced a postponement in receiving federal funds Friday. This means that districts have spent money they have not received reimbursement for or have to withhold spending all together.

Federal funds are typically used to pay teacher salaries and secure student resources. Some districts received information about their application status in December, three months later than they usually do. 

According to a survey from The Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration, 55% of districts have not received final approval for their 2023/2024 grants. Districts have voiced their frustration that this year’s process has taken unusually long.

About 75% of districts report that portions of their applications have been denied and returned for reassessment. For some districts, that took over a month. Items approved in previous years had been denied for this year. It was also reported that application guidelines varied from district to district. 

Past Requests for Investigation into Ryan Walters

The House Democratic Caucus initially sent a request to Speaker McCall back in August. He refused. They have since taken time to gather evidence to support the impeachment inquiry. 

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In August, the Dem Caucus cited Walters’ hateful rhetoric as the cause for Tulsa Public Schools’ report of multiple bomb threats aimed at the district. Now the caucus says that his reluctancy to comply with both Democratic and Republican lawmakers has secured the need for impeachment.

Speaker McCall released a statement in August condemning the threats made to the school. 

State Audit

Money allocated to the state through the American Rescue Plan had been misspent by the Oklahoma State Department of Education. This included money used to grant scholarships to private school students and money meant for parents to buy educational supplies being misused. 

Under the Governor’s Education Emergency Relief Fund (GEER) the State Dept. of Education has misspent over $8 million. 

A report from the State Auditor revealed that the Bridge the Gap Digital Wallet program had over $1 million worth of costs in prohibited expenditures. The Stay In School program used over $6 million in inappropriate spending. The administration of these programs was granted to outside special interest groups with limited oversight from the state government. 

The accumulation of these factors has led the Democratic Caucus to renew their push for a formal investigation.

There have been two successful impeachments in Oklahoma’s history. The most noteworthy was Gov. Jack Walton. His main offense was the declaration of martial law to limit Klan activity following the Tulsa Race Massacre.