Oklahoma’s school Superintendent Ryan Walters voiced his opinion about the free press and Oklahoma City station KFOR during a Friday morning press conference after lawmakers rejected several of his budget requests.
The agreed-upon budget from lawmakers this week had the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) realize they wouldn’t get $3 million for “Bibles in every classroom” and $500,000 for concealed carry training, among other requests.
Walters’ media gathering had him calling out the proposed income tax cut, but when asked how he would cut it, he didn’t have much of an answer. He also called for cutting property taxes, but when asked how he would cut them, he didn’t have a direct answer.
What stuck out to TVSpy were the answers he gave the Nexstar owned NBC affiliate when asked about the status of Oklahoma Education rankings compared to the rest of the nation.
KFOR asked him about it.
KFOR: Why would people listen to you when, over the years, we’ve continued to be one of the lowest in the nation when it comes to education? You blame other people, but aren’t you to blame?
Walters: “So let’s take a look at that question, KFOR gets it fundamentally wrong. You are consistent at being wrong. So we are not at the bottom of education. We continue to see dramatic increases in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. I know y’all don’t care to report facts,” said Walters.
In a survey of fourth and eighth grade reading and math results in every U.S. state, Oklahoma eighth graders ranked around 48 for reading and 45 for math. Oklahoma fourth graders ranked around 47 for reading and 44 for math.
He then called KFOR “fake news” when asked about a teacher signing bonus initiative, where the Oklahoma State Department of Education offered thousands of dollars to get teachers to work in Oklahoma schools.
According to Oklahoma Watch, OSDE also demanded some recipients return a total of $290,000, because some bonuses were sent to teachers who weren’t meant to receive them. One woman was asked to return $29,000.
“I got an email … it was like the second week of January, saying I have to pay it back by the end of February,” the woman told Oklahoma Watch. “I’m like, how am I supposed to do that?”
When asked about it by KFOR, Walters said, “KFOR, take your fake news somewhere else today. Thank you for your time. Any real questions from the media?”
In December, KFOR was allowed back into state education meetings and given access to officials after settling a lawsuit brought against the OSDE.
