OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, today released a statement in response to a lack of transparency and cooperation on the part of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters and Sr. Advisor Matt Langston. This statement comes on the heels of numerous requests for information from members of the Legislature being ignored by the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), with the latest request receiving a response from Langston of, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." McBride said the following:

"Throughout the last two years, my colleagues and I have tried to find numerous ways to work with OSDE leadership as we chart a path forward for education in our state. Our efforts have been met with standoffishness, immaturity and a total lack of transparency and accountability on the part of Superintendent Walters and his advisor Matt Langston. The latest retort received from Langston was in response to a third inquiry asking for information about alleged teacher recruitment numbers, a Metrics Software update and emails sent to Superintendent Walters' Every Kid Counts email address. Rather than provide this information, Langston responded with sarcasm and disrespect towards the Legislature. It is important for OSDE leadership to remember that the Legislature, not the Department, is in charge of appropriating and overseeing state tax dollars. This responsibility comes with a duty to make sure that the appropriated dollars are being spent properly by the agencies and departments under the Legislature's purview.

The Legislature cannot tell if anything we are hearing from OSDE about where and how dollars are being spent is true, because Superintendent Walters and Sr. Advisor Langston refuse to answer the most basic inquiries. The only logical conclusions that can be drawn from their lack of cooperation are that they are either lying about where the money is going, or they are hiding something. Based on the way that Superintendent Walters and his advisor have acted towards legislative inquiries into OSDE spending, we have no way to determine if state taxpayer dollars are being spent properly by the Department. Rather than responding with childish wordplay, it is my sincere hope that they will begin to work with the Legislature to make sure we are all doing right by the children and families of Oklahoma. At the end of the day, this needs to be about the kids, not ego."

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