Superintendent Walters Prepares Oklahoma Schools For Elimination of U.S. Department of Education
President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on eliminating the U.S. Department of Education. Now, State Superintendent Ryan Walters is preparing Oklahoma schools for just that following a on a memo sent to superintendents across the state on Thursday.
Walters says the state department is "preparing to work hand in hand with an incoming Trump Administration to continue the work of dismantling the federal government’s decades of undue influence over public education."
The memo supports the elimination of the federal education department, in favor of moving to block grants, and he outlines five areas where he sees this as beneficial for Oklahoma schools: Parental rights, ending social indoctrination in classrooms, protecting patriotism in curriculum, stopping illegal immigration’s impact on schools and blocking foreign influence.
The memo says the state department will be directing its resources to ensure those priorities are championed so schools can smoothly transition after the coming changes.
Stitt Announces New Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
Oklahoma’s state government is opening a new Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives within the Department of Human Services.
Gov. Kevin Stitt announced the new office at the state capitol.
"I love President Ronald Reagan's quote when he said, you know, government is not the solution, so the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives is — it's not meant to be another government program," Stitt said.
The government office will connect churches and non-profit organizations with state agencies to coordinate social services.
Democratic State Rep. Ajay Pittman of Oklahoma City co-sponsored a bill that would have created this office through the legislature. The bill didn’t get a vote in the full Senate, but it inspired the creation of the office anyway.
"This is just good government. And we know that the churches already have the infrastructure, they already have the resources, and they already have the relationship," said Pittman.
Government officials say the office’s focuses are family, fatherhood, food security and foster care.
Oklahoma Public College and University Enrollment on the Rise
Enrollment at Oklahoma’s public colleges and universities is up.
According to the report from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the preliminary headcount of enrolled students increased by 4.5% since last fall.
Oklahoma State University’s headcount enrollment increased by 6%, largely helped by a sizable boost at its Center for Health Sciences.
The University of Oklahoma saw its numbers rise by 5.5%, though it had a drop in students at its Law Center.
As for smaller schools, El Reno’s Redlands Community College boosted its students by 14%, and Tishomingo’s Murray State College rose by almost 11%.
Concurrent enrollment for high schoolers saw a bump across the state. Weatherford’s Southwestern State University and Edmond’s University of Central Oklahoma increased their concurrent student load by about 50%.
Report: Oklahoma Sees Largest Decline in Abortions Among States With Near-Total Bans
A national analysis of abortions people received during 2020 and 2023 found an uptick in nearly every state with a near-total abortion ban, except for Texas, Idaho and Oklahoma.
A report supported by the Society of Family Planning found a 32% decrease in the number of Oklahomans receiving abortions post-Roe between data recorded in 2020 and 2023. Laura Bellis is the executive director of Tulsa’s Take Control Initiative, which works to provide free access to birth control locally.
She says there could be many contributing factors, including an increase in self-managed medication abortions, which are not recorded in the report, or more education surrounding contraception.
“We are seeing people much more proactively and consistently seeking out contraception," said Bellis.
Bellis also added that Oklahoma’s data was likely impacted by an unusually high amount of abortions recorded in 2020. She says that bump in care could be attributed to the addition of Tulsa County’s Planned Parenthood, which began providing abortions around that time before Roe v. Wade fell.
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