A school board member in Oklahoma wants to see the superintendent resign following political Facebook posts.
Dr. Jerry Griffin of the Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education called on Dr. Deborah Gist, his superintendent, to resign Tuesday. This comes after Griffin walked out of a board meeting on Monday, along with two other board members.
“Dr. Gist has become an [embarrassment] to those who care about restoring the educational foundation of what was once one of the finest schools in the United States,” Griffin said in a statement. “Her attacks on the governor of this state are outrageous and her personal attacks on an individual Board Member subject [our] school system to great financial liability.”
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“All indications are that Kevin Stitt will go down in history as the most corrupt governor in 47 years,” Gist wrote in a post on Sunday. “Yes, I did some research on our governors to see if it has ever been this bad. The corruption and cronyism associated with Kevin Stitt and [Secretary of Education] Ryan Walters are not only horrible for Oklahoma from our ability to function let alone thrive, it is also resulting in scandal after scandal to the tune of millions and millions of your taxpayer dollars. In my experience, people who deflect so aggressively have something to hide—particularly during campaigns.”
The post came after Gov. Stitt called for an audit of the board for the use of its $200 million coronavirus relief funds. Board members Jennettie Marshall and E’Lena Ashley, who were also among the members who left the Monday meeting, wrote Stitt a letter on July 1, making the recommendation for the audit.
“These two board members are acting in collaboration with Ryan Walters who is running for state superintendent of education,” Gist wrote. “I have been clear that I welcome this state audit and any audit of the Tulsa Public Schools to be added to the audit that is already conducted each year.”
Gist reacted to the three board members leaving the meeting early in a Facebook Live video, pointing out that their absence meant the board couldn’t pay for electricity, natural gas for buses, or even the hiring of already accepted teaching applicants.
“I want to take responsibility for whatever part I played in the results of tonight’s meeting with the board,” Gist said.
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Meanwhile, Tulsa Public Schools Chief Talent and Equity Officer Devin Fletcher inexplicably resigned from his position last month.
