Oklahoma Watch-Education

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The Oklahoma Department of Education, under new Superintendent of Schools Lindel Fields, has been busy rolling back a number of initiatives started by his predecessor, Ryan Walters.
 
Fields notified educators last week that state testing will proceed as normal this year, quelling the confusion created by Walters' Aug. 8 announcement that schools would switch to using benchmark assessments for grades 3-8 and allow alternative tests for high schoolers.
 
The agency last week asked a court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by two teachers who received a $50,000 bonus in error. Under the terms of the dismissal, the agency will end efforts to take back the money, and the teachers will drop their defamation claims against Walters, reports The Oklahoman.
 
And Fields said he intends to restart the process of reviewing the social studies standards — obtaining public input and presenting a draft to the Board of Education and the Legislature, according to Oklahoma Voice. The Oklahoma Supreme Court temporarily blocked the version adopted under Walters.
 
One action Fields said he can't undo? The large unexplained payouts Walters doled out to preferred staff members in recent months. Those included a $15,000 bonus to his executive assistant, Lexie Flanagan and an extra $10,000 to press secretary Madison Cercy, who never once responded to News 4 or Oklahoma Watch during her time in the role. Walters gave his chief of staff, Matt Mohler, and chief policy advisor, Matt Langston, nearly $30,000 each in the final days before they all left the agency, reports News 4.
 
I'll be sitting down for an interview with Fields this week. What should I ask him? Let me know via email.
 
From Jennifer Palmer, reporter with Oklahoma Watch since 2016.