Gov. Kevin Stitt has appointed Oklahoma State Superintendent Lindel Fields to serve as Secretary of Education for the remainder of his term, giving Fields dual roles in state education leadership. Fields was appointed State Superintendent last fall following Ryan Walters’ resignation and has since worked to reform the State Department of Education, including creating a “turn around team” and reviewing policies and contracts from the previous administration. Stitt praised Fields’ “strong, steady leadership,” while Fields said his goal in the expanded role is to “finish strong, build momentum and leave Oklahoma education stronger” than he found it.
The Oklahoma Employees Insurance and Benefits Board, which is part of EGID, recommended significant 2027 HealthChoice premium increases,including 18.9% for HealthChoice Basic, 15.8% for HealthChoice High and an average 19.5% for the High-Deductible Plan. The proposed rates, which affect more than 180,000 state and education employees, retirees and their families, must still be reviewed by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) CEO before going to the OMES director for final approval. Attorney General Gentner Drummond criticized the increases, arguing that years of frozen rates delayed necessary adjustments and left public employees facing a steep increase all at once. He said teachers covering their families could face roughly $1,572 to $2,716 in additional annual premium costs and called the situation avoidable with more gradual increases over time.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has launched an investigation into whether Dr. Anthony Fauci violated Oklahoma law through his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The move follows a U.S. Senate investigation in which Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment rights more than 100 times, prompting Drummond to call for greater transparency and accountability. Drummond said newly released journal entries raise questions about whether Fauci’s actions could constitute state crimes such as criminal fraud or conspiracy to defraud Oklahoma, and he has asked federal investigators to share any relevant evidence with his office. Oklahoma joins Florida, Alabama and Louisiana in pursuing similar state-level investigations.
Oklahoma law allows large energy users like data centers to build their own power plants, but most proposed data centers in the state are instead planning to connect to the existing electric grid. State and federal officials have pushed new ratepayer protections aimed at ensuring data centers cover the costs of their massive electricity demands rather than shifting those expenses to households. Experts say grid power remains more reliable and practical, while building behind-the-meter generation can be expensive and take years due to equipment and infrastructure delays. While Oklahoma currently has fewer than 30 planned data centers, officials expect interest in private power generation could grow as more large-scale projects consider the state.
A religious nonprofit, Ben Gamla, is challenging Oklahoma’s rejection of its application to open a publicly funded virtual Jewish charter school, arguing the decision amounts to religious discrimination. The case follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s 4-4 split over St. Isidore Catholic School and could potentially create another path for the issue to reach the high court. Attorney General Gentner Drummond has criticized the State Charter School Board’s handling of the application, arguing the board suppressed legitimate reasons for rejecting Ben Gamla in an effort to create a cleaner path to federal court at taxpayers’ expense. Religious-freedom and church-state separation groups have intervened in opposition, arguing that publicly funded religious charter schools violate Oklahoma law and the U.S. Constitution.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Lindel has already shown strong, steady leadership, and I am confident he will continue serving Oklahoma students and families with focus and integrity in this expanded role,” said Gov Stitt regarding his appointment of State Superintendent Lindel Fields to Oklahoma Secretary and Superintendent of Education. “We are making real progress in education, and I look forward to continuing that momentum alongside our educators, parents, and school leaders.”