Nellie Sanders of Kingfisher tendered her resignation as the state Secretary of Education on Thursday and moved into a new role as Governor Kevin Stitt announced a flurry of changes both within his cabinet and the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

“Serving you and the students of Oklahoma as Secretary of Education has been the honor of my lifetime,” wrote Sanders in her resignation letter to Stitt.

Sanders was nominated for the position in Stitt’s cabinet in January 2024.

Her resignation and new role were announced Thursday afternoon during Stitt’s press conference at Eisenhower International School, an elementary school that’s part of the Tulsa Public Schools system.

The main topic of the press conference was for Stitt to announce Lindel Fields as his appointee as the state superintendent of public instruction.

Fields, a veteran of the Oklahoma CareerTech system, fills the void left by the resignation of Ryan Walters earlier in the week.

Walters, who was elected to the position in November 2022 and took office in January 2023, resigned to become the CEO of Teacher Freedom Alliance.

Fields will serve the remainder of Walters’ term, which ends in January 2027.

“It’s a new day for Oklahoma students,” said Stitt. “I want us to be top 10 in everything we do and we need a top 10 education system to achieve that.

“Lindel will give the agency a fresh start and get it back to its mission of producing top tier students. I’m excited to appoint my first superintendent of public instruction and I know great things are ahead.”

Joy Hofmeister was the state superintendent when Stitt took office. She changed political parties to Democrat and ran against Stitt for governor in 2022.

Walters, who was originally appointed by Stitt to be the Secretary of Education before being elected to state superintendent, saw his tenure filled with controversy to the point that Walters and the governor had a falling out.

“In my last seven years, it has been clear that the operation of this agency and the well-being of Oklahoma’s students have taken a back seat to the political ambitions of the individual who holds this position,” said Stitt. “At best, the agenda of the governor and the superintendent are out of alignment. At worst, the superintendent has actively campaigned to unseat the governor. Our students are too precious of a resource to leave to the whims of politicians.

“Now is the perfect time to consider depoliticizing the Department of Education by allowing future governors to appoint the role of superintendent.”

Stitt called on the state Legislature to send a state question to Oklahoma voters seeking that ability.

After announcing Fields, Stitt introduced an OKSDE “Turnaround Team” to assist Fields.

Among those named were Sanders and Tom Newell, who has been Stitt’s chief of staff since last December.

Newell and his wife, Erin (Palmer) Newell, live in Cashion. Erin Newell operates Palmer Chiropractic Clinic in Kingfisher.

Also named to the Turnaround Team were Dan Hamlin, Connie Reilly, Megan Oftedal, Kristin Stephens and Tara Thompson.

Stitt introduced each team member at the press conference.

He also introduced Hamlin, a professor at the University of Oklahoma’s college of education, as Sanders’ successor as Secretary of Education.

“I’m excited to bring Dan to the team,” said Stitt. “He brings a new perspective that will pay dividends as we work to stabilize the Oklahoma State Department of Education and turn around our education system.”

“This is a good thing,” Sanders told the KT&FP on Thursday. “I’m excited. This is such an important time for education in Oklahoma and there is a lot going on right now.”

She said the job of education secretary now calls for someone with a “different skill set” than hers and she’ll still be putting her own strengths to use. “This is such an opportunity,” she said. “And I’m excited for what I get to help do.” Sanders said she’s proud ofwhat’sbeenaccomplished during her time in office. Some of the things she listed included: • Establishing science and reading requirements for all teacher certification seekers; • Creating registered teacher apprenticeship pathways central to Stitt’s workforce agenda; • Restoring rigorous academic standards aligned with national benchmarks; • Modernizing education data transparency for the first time in 20 years; • Launching the nation’s first Human Potential for Future Industries Task Force to align education with the jobs and innovations of the future. Helping building that infrastructure, said Sanders, is her strength. Now, she said, it’s time for someone who can go “full throttle” into implementing it at a larger scale. “The foundation is strong,” she wrote. “Now, it is time to turn policy into practice and operationalize it at scale.” She later continued: “The scale of this challenge now requires a pivot in leadership and execution. I believe that my expertise in innovation and strategic foresight will add the most value during this transformational time by focusing on the rapid deployment of technological literacy infrastructure and industry partnerships designed to achieve unprecedented scale,” she said. “This work will directly forge career pathways that connect students’ educational readiness to opportunities most cannot yet access. “This vital mission demands a dedicated speed, scale, and multi-state industry collaboration that is best delivered in partnership with government.”

According to Stitt, Hamlin will lead that charge.

“Oklahoma is a state that’s full of promise, but our children need a strong education to pursue the opportunities available to them,” said Hamlin. “For many years, I have dedicated my work to researching how to strengthen education systems, so I am thrilled to have an opportunity to work with our partners across the state to do just that.”

Sanders continued to express gratitude in her resignation.

“Thank you for the opportunity to serve Oklahoma’s students and for your unwavering partnership as we enter this next chapter,” she wrote.

After being nominated for the position by Stitt, Sanders gained unanimous approval from both the Senate Education Committee and then the full Senate vote in May 2024.

Her confirmation was carried by Sen. Darcy Jech (R-Kingfisher).

Stitt also continued his overhaul of the Oklahoma State Board of Edcuation by announcing the ouster of members Zach Archer and Sarah Lepak.

He named Brian Bobek and Wes Nofire to fill those seats.

Bobek is a previous OSBE member and Nofire was previously Stitt’s Native American liaison.

It’s a completely new board than the one that started this calendar year.

In February, Stitt removed three members and nominated Ryan Deatherage of Kingfisher, Michael Tinney of Norman and Chris VanDenhende of Tulsa. At the time, Lepak and Archer were the only two to remain on the board.

Jech also carried Deatherage’s confirmation in the Senate.

Among the Republican legislators supporting at least one of Stitt’s appointway ments was Rep. Chris Banning of Bixby.

“Lindel Fields is the kind of leader Oklahoma students, parents and teachers need right now,” Banning said. “I’ve had the privilege of working with him through leadership training seminars for my own executives, and I’ve seen firsthand the integrity and wisdom he brings to every room. He’s calm under pressure, clear in his vision and committed to bringing out the best in others.”

House Democrats said they’re eager to work with the new appointments, but disagree with Stitt’s desire to have the state superintendent be appointed by the governor as opposed to being elected by voters.

“I want to congratulate Superintendent Lindel Fields and I look forward to meeting him and working with him on behalf of our students, teachers and families,” said House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson (D-Oklahoma City). “I also look forward to meeting and working with Secretary of Education Dan Hamlin. I am hopeful that these appointments will be an improvement to the last state superintendent, but it is important to remember that the bar has not been set at a high level.

“The challenges our public education system faces have been longstanding before the previous superintendent and seriously need to be addressed by legislative leaders. We must set a higher standard for ourselves to come together to eliminate these challenges that can be solved by working together.”

Munson went on to criticize the state of education in the state while under Republican control.

“Republicans have had the reins on state government in Oklahoma for nearly two decades and they have prioritized tax cuts for the wealthiest and investments in private school vouchers with public tax dollars. This has left public education in Oklahoma underfunded for several years,” Munson said. “It is my hope that the new team at OSDE works to listen to teachers and experts on the best ways to improve public education for everyone – students, teachers and families.

“I disagree with putting forth legislation to make the superintendent of public education a governor-appointed position. If we want to see the changes needed to our public education system, it should be up to the public to choose and up to the legislature to listen.”