The Commissioners of the Land Office (CLO) this week voted not to approve a proposed lease in Woodward County for Daily Mill Wind LLC after county commissioners expressed concern over the project just west of Mooreland. County Commissioner Troy White explained the board's support for the project but opposed the location of wind turbines on public lands. A spokesman for the project said the five stateowned land parcels would be key to connecting surrounding leaseholders but did not rule out the possibility of utilizing school lands to connect the project without actually placing turbines on those particular tracks. As the company was the successful bidder in auctions earlier this year, any amended plans that might achieve local support would have to come back to the CLO at a future date.
News sources reported last week the possibility of CoreCivic facilities in Watonga and Sayre entering an agreement with U.S. Immigration and customs Enforcement (ICE) to temporarily house federal immigrant detainees pursuant to the current deportation policy of President Trump. CoreCivic, formerly the Corrections Corporation of America, built and opened Diamondback in Blaine County near Watonga in 1998. It has been shuttered since 2010.
As controversy continues to surround our state school superintendent, a national ranking placed Oklahoma 50th in education last month. WalletHub, a national ranking website, released the report of various analytics and data, including SAT and ACT scores, school safety and attendance records, among other factors. The latest fiasco was alleged nudity playing on a television during a closed meeting in the superintendent's office. The incident was reported by State Education Board members, including one of my constituents from Kingfisher, whom I know personally and trust. Ryan Deatherage never accused Superintendent Ryan Walters of any wrongdoing, only stated what he and other members saw, and what occurred in the meeting.
Walter‘s response was to accuse the members of not only lying but conspiring with the governor to fabricate the story to discredit him. As disappointing as that was, he continued stating that investigations of the county sheriff and the Office of Management and Enterprise Services had exonerated him before the investigations were finished. Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III specifically issued a statement clarifying the investigations were not concluded, and the results would be turned over to Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna when their investigation was complete. That has now been done.
In my opinion, it is very interesting to note this week's state visit by U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon did not include Walters. He has told us for months how closely he is working with the Trump administration to return control to the states and empower parents in the education of our children. While visiting metro area schools and visiting with state leaders and school administrators, Secretary McMahon responded to a reporter's question, making it clear that a meeting with Superintendent Walters was not part of her schedule.
As a new school year gets underway, it’s time for a reminder about safe driving in school zones once again. It would also be refreshing if our state superintendent would focus on efforts and ideas to support classroom teachers, improve learning outcomes for our kids and better prepare them for higher education, new career technology opportunities and getting them ready for today’s workforce. Recent history has proven that grandstanding, gaslighting and trying to grab the national spotlight has done nothing but move our state further down in educational rankings during his administration at the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Please remember, if I can help you with something, do not hesitate to reach out. You also can follow regular updates on my House Facebook page or call or email anytime at (405) 557-7407 o r Mike.Dobrinski@okhous e.gov.
Mike Dobrinski serves District 59 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes Dewey and parts of Blaine, Garfield, Kingfisher and Woodward counties