The new Oklahoma state superintendent on Thursday led his first CareerTech board meeting since being appointed and said he plans to continue attending these monthly meetings.
This is a marked change from former Superintendent Ryan Walters who attended only one meeting this year, according to an Oklahoma Voice analysis of meeting minutes. The same analysis found him to be chronically absent from other boards he had a seat on as state superintendent.
As state superintendent, Lindel Fields also serves as the chair of the state Board of Career and Technology Education. Fields was appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt on Oct. 2 to replace former Walters, who resigned to lead a conservative teacher organization.
Fields, a retired CareerTech administrator, said having an amicable relationship between the agencies will help them work together and he “doesn’t know any other way” to operate.
“Attending this meeting is really important,” he said. “It’s important for CareerTech and the state Department of Education to be aligned.”
As for the other boards he’s assigned to as state superintendent, Fields said there are around 15 boards he’s part of. For those he’s statutorily required to sit on, Fields said he or a proxy will attend. Other boards will, in most cases, have an appointee attending.
CareerTech is a state agency that provides K-12 and postsecondary students with skills, training and hands-on education throughout the state in their classrooms and technology centers.
Brent Haken, director of Oklahoma CareerTech, often led the board meetings in Walters’ absence. He said it’s “vital” to have Fields and staff from the Education Department at the meetings so the agencies are aligned.
“I can’t be successful unless he is being successful, and we really partner on a lot of programs,” he said. “So what it means to me is that we not only have partnerships, but we can collaborate and we can discuss what makes a difference in this state.”
There’s been a “drastic” shift in attitudes and tone surrounding the partnership of the two state agencies since Fields’ appointment, Haken said. People are “excited” to be part of this transformation and are more engaged, he said.
Brian Bobek, a new board member for Oklahoma CareerTech and state Board of Education, was sworn in by Haken on Thursday. He previously served on both boards and was re-appointed by Stitt Oct. 2 to replace Zachary Archer.
