Beth Wallis
Reporter for StateImpact OklahomaBeth Wallis holds a journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma. Originally from Tulsa, she also graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor's degree in music education and a master's degree in conducting performance. She was a band director at a public school for five years.
Beth is an alumnus of the Carnegie-Knight News21 Fellowship and NPR Next Generation Radio. She's been recognized for her work by the Hearst Awards, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Collegiate Press and the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association. She was awarded Best Podcast from the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists for her series "At the Seams," which explores Norman's relationships with political division, police funding and its own racial history.
Beth enjoys hiking, playing with her four dogs and discovering new favorite musical artists.
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A bill that would incentivize school districts to ban cell phones on campus got one step closer Tuesday to becoming law, but committee members opposing it say it doesn’t go far enough and shouldn’t come with a price tag.
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Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond dismissed a lawsuit Monday filed last month by Gov. Kevin Stitt against a Florida vendor involved in a pandemic relief program that resulted in the sizable misspending of federal funds.
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Over 500 teachers were given bonuses as part of a program to address a teacher shortage. But a handful of teachers described a "nightmare" scenario when the state demanded their bonuses back.
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The state legislature is back in session, and there’s no hotter topic than education policy. StateImpact education reporter Beth Wallis talked with StateImpact managing editor Logan Layden about what to expect from lawmakers in 2024.
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Gov. Kevin Stitt says Oklahoma is in the strongest position it’s ever been. He made the declaration during his sixth State of the State address Monday, an event that kicks off the start of Oklahoma’s legislative session.
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Thursday’s State Board of Education meeting saw the passage of a permanent rule change on student gender designations, the suspension of several educators’ teaching certificates and the appearance of a controversial conservative media figure.
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Gov. Kevin Stitt named Nellie Tayloe Sanders as the state’s new Secretary of Education Wednesday.
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The Department of Education overpaid at least $290,000 in teacher bonuses and is working to claw back the money mere months after it was distributed. Nine teachers have been issued demands for repayment.
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State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced in a news release Tuesday he was appointing Chaya Raichik to the department’s Library Media Advisory Committee. Raichik is behind the far-right X (formerly Twitter) account, LibsofTikTok.
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The first Monday in February marks the beginning of the Oklahoma legislative session. And Oklahoma lawmakers are gearing up to consider thousands of bills. Our reporters will be there to cover them. Here’s what they’ll be watching for leading up to the convening of the 2024 legislature.