WELL. WELCOME BACK. OKLAHOMA. 913 IS YOUR TIME. AND THIS WEEK, SCHOOLS ACROSS THE STATE, THEY RETURN TO THE CLASSROOM. AND WE DO HAVE OKLAHOMA’S TOP EDUCATOR IN STUDIO WITH US THIS MORNING. SO LET’S WELCOME IN STATE SUPERINTENDENT WALTERS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. EXCITING TIME. KIDS ARE BACK IN SCHOOL. PARENTS ARE MEETING THE TEACHERS. IT’S AWESOME. IT’S FUN WEEK. ABSOLUTELY. SO BEFORE WE GET TO START OF SEEING HERE RECENTLY, SOMETHING WE JUST GOT INTO OUR NEWSROOM FOR THE LAST WEEK. OUR STATE HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT SCHOOL SAFETY. SOME TALK ABOUT SCHOOL SECURITY MONEY. UH, YOU’RE AWARE OF THE CONTROVERSY RIGHT NOW, AND I DO WANT TO ASK YOU WHAT YOUR RESPONSE TO ALL OF THIS HAS BEEN. YEAH, THERE’S BEEN A BUNCH OF LEFT WING ACTIVISTS OUT LYING ABOUT THIS AND LEFT WING ACTORS IN THE MEDIA LYING ABOUT IT. HERE’S A REALITY WE ARE MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE A LEGAL PATH FORWARD. SO THAT SCHOOLS CAN USE ALL THEIR SAFETY FUNDS, AND THEY CAN CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE EVERY KID IS SAFE. OUR SCHOOLS WILL BE SAFE IN OKLAHOMA. WE NOT ONLY ARE MAKING SURE THAT THE FUNDS THE LEGISLATURE HAS ALLOCATED ARE GOING TO BE USED FOR SCHOOLS, WE HAVE MILLIONS MORE DOLLARS. WE’RE GOING TO BE ALLOCATING FOR SAFETY IN SCHOOLS. SO SAFETY FUNDS WILL BE THERE. THERE IS A LEGAL PROCESS THAT WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE FOLLOW, AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE DOING. AND SO WE’RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT CRYSTAL CLEAR. CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO OUR VIEWERS WHO WHO AREN’T CLEAR ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON IN TERMS OF THEIR HEARING THAT SCHOOL FUNDS WERE SCHOOL SECURITY FUNDS WERE TAKEN AWAY FROM THESE DISTRICTS? JUST TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE HOUSE BILL THAT WAS PASSED AND HOW YOU ALL PLAN TO, I GUESS, ENSURE THAT THE SCHOOL SECURITY IS IMPROVED IN THESE DISTRICTS MOVING FORWARD. YEAH. TO SAY SCHOOL FUNDS WERE SCHOOL SECURITY FUNDS WERE TAKEN AWAY. IT’S A COMPLETE LIE. NO FUNDS WERE TAKEN AWAY. THE QUESTION IS LEGALLY, CAN FUNDS ROLL OVER OR NOT? SO WE’VE REQUESTED AN ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OPINION ON THAT TO GIVE US CRYSTAL CLEAR PATH MOVING FORWARD. BUT THE REALITY IS WE’RE MAKING SURE THAT ANY SCHOOL INITIATIVE WITH SCHOOL SAFETY THAT’S BEEN STARTED WILL BE FINISHED. WE’RE MAKING SURE FUNDS ARE ALLOCATED THERE, WHETHER THE FUNDS ROLL OVER OR NOT. WE’RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT SCHOOLS HAVE THE MONEY NECESSARY TO MAKE SURE THEY COMPLETE THOSE PROJECTS. BUT AGAIN, WE HAVE A LEGAL QUESTION HERE. WE’VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT MONEY IS SPENT IN A LEGAL PROCESS, AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW GOING BACK TO WHEN THIS BILL WAS, I GUESS, VOTED ON IN THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE AND MADE INTO A LAW WHEN THOSE FUNDS FIRST CAME DOWN INTO THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, DID YOUR OFFICE HAVE ANY CONCERNS AT THAT POINT WHEN IT CAME TO THE THE ISSUE OF ROLLOVER FOR THOSE FUNDS AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR OR AT THE END OF THE YEAR? YEAH, WE’VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE LEGISLATURE ON THIS FOR MONTHS TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE DEAL WITH THIS MOVING FORWARD. AND THERE’S BEEN DISAGREEMENT IN THE LEGISLATURE ON DOES IT MOVE, DOES IT ROLL OVER OR DOES IT NOT? SO IT’S BECOME A LEGAL QUESTION, NOT REALLY A POLICY QUESTION, BUT LEGALLY, WHAT IS THE LANGUAGE ALLOW? SO THAT’S WHERE WE’VE GONE TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND SAID, HEY, CAN YOU HELP CLEAR THIS UP? THE SENATE SAYS ONE THING. THE HOUSE SAYS ANOTHER. WE HAVE ATTORNEYS THAT HAVE A VIEW ON IT. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, AGAIN, SCHOOLS ARE ABLE TO USE EVERY DOLLAR THAT’S ALLOCATED FOR THEM. BUT IT’S DONE IN A LEGAL WAY BECAUSE YOU DON’T WANT TO RISK ANY KIND OF CLAWBACK OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SO NO FUNDS HAVE BEEN CLAWED BACK. WE ARE LOOKING FOR ASSURANCES THAT THERE IS A VERY CLEAR LEGAL PATH MOVING FORWARD. AND AGAIN, WE’LL CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS ARE SAFE AND ALL OF OUR KIDS ARE SAFE. AND I DO WANT TO TALK MORE ABOUT THAT. FAMILIES. THAT’S TOP OF MIND FOR THEM. SCHOOL DISTRICTS, THAT’S TOP OF MIND FOR THEM. WHERE IS YOUR OFFICE? RIGHT NOW WHEN IT COMES TO SCHOOL SECURITY? YEAH. SO WHAT WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO DO IS NOT ONLY ALLOCATE THESE SCHOOL SECURITY FUNDS, WE’VE ALSO BEEN APPLYING FOR MULTIPLE GRANTS AND MOVE OUR OFFICES TOGETHER WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, TO MAKE SURE WE’RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE IF THERE IS A THREAT, IF THERE IS AN ISSUE ABOUT SECURING A SCHOOL DISTRICT OR SECURING A BUILDING, WE CAN DO THAT. SO WE HAVE RUN, FIGHT, HIDE TRAININGS ACROSS THE STATE TO MAKE SURE THAT DISTRICTS ARE TRAINED. IF THAT WORST CASE SCENARIO HAPPENS. WE’RE ALSO MAKING SURE THAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE TO EVERY DISTRICT IN THE STATE. SO SCHOOL SECURITY IS TOP OF MIND FOR US AS ONE OF OUR TOP PRIORITIES. YOUR KIDS NEED TO BE SAFE IN A SCHOOL, AND YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT. SO WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO ALLOCATE ALL OF OUR RESOURCES AND PERSONNEL THAT WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE SCHOOLS IN OKLAHOMA ARE SAFE, AND SOMETHING THAT WE’VE JUST LEARNED RIGHT NOW. KOCO HAS CONFIRMED REPUBLICANS, THEY’RE CIRCULATING A LETTER RIGHT NOW THAT IS CALLING FOR AN IMPEACHMENT INVESTIGATION INTO YOU AND YOUR OFFICE. SO WHAT’S YOUR RESPONSE HERE? LOOK, YOU KNOW, IF THEY DECIDE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT, IT WOULD BE THE MOST UNPRECEDENTED MOVE IN STATE HISTORY TO UNDERMINE THE WILL OF THE OKLAHOMAN VOTERS. OKLAHOMA VOTERS ELECTED ME WILDLY, UH, INTO OFFICE. IT WAS OVER 10% OF THE VOTE THAT THEY PUT ME IN OFFICE. AND WHAT WE’VE SEEN ARE A GROUP OF MODERATE REPUBLICANS HAVE PARTNERED WITH DEMOCRATS. THESE ARE FOLKS THAT WANT PORNOGRAPHY IN YOUR KIDS SCHOOL. THESE ARE FOLKS THAT DON’T WANT THEY HAVE BEEN ATTACKING CHRISTIANITY. THESE ARE FOLKS THAT DO WHATEVER TO, AND THEY WANT TO BRING BACK AN ERA OF THE TEACHER’S UNION CONTROLLING OUR SCHOOLS. WE’RE NOT GOING TO ALLOW THAT. WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO PUT PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS IN CHARGE OF THEIR KIDS EDUCATION. WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO PUT OKLAHOMA ON A PATH TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN EDUCATION. SO I WILL NEVER BACK DOWN TO MODERATE REPUBLICANS PARTNERING WITH DEMOCRATS TO TRY TO OVERTURN THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE. WE’RE NOT GOING TO ALLOW IT MOVING FORWARD. I KNOW FAMILIES OUT THERE, VIEWERS OUT THERE AS WELL. THEY LOOK AT THE SITUATION BETWEEN YOURSELF, YOUR OFFICE AND STATE LEGISLATURES. WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HAVE FOR, YOU KNOW, FAMILIES, VOTERS OUT THERE HERE IN THE FUTURE WHEN IT COMES TO WORKING TOGETHER WITH STATE LEGISLATURE IN THE FUTURE? SURE. LOOK, WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE STATE LEGISLATURE. I HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH LEADERSHIP IN THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE. BUT HERE’S THE REALITY. I WORK FOR THE PEOPLE OF OKLAHOMA. I WILL ALWAYS FIGHT FOR FAMILIES. CONSERVATIVE VALUES. AND WE’RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ARE INSTITUTED INTO OUR GOVERNMENT, INTO OUR SCHOOLS. I’M UNAPOLOGETIC ABOUT THAT. I WILL DEFEND THE FAMILIES OF OKLAHOMA AGAINST ANY OF THE STATUS QUO FORCES, AGAINST ANY SPECIAL INTEREST THAT FIGHT AGAINST THEM. SO I WILL ALWAYS FIGHT FOR THE FAMILIES OF OKLAHOMA. I WILL ALWAYS FIGHT FOR OUR KIDS. AND AGAIN, WE ARE SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS SCHOOL YEAR. WE ARE PUTTING OKLAHOMA BACK ON THE RIGHT TRACK. WE WILL NOT CONTINUE TO BE 49TH IN EDUCATION. THAT’S WHERE YOU SEE THESE REFORMS THAT WE’RE IMPLEMENTING ARE PUTTING US ON THE RIGHT TRACK, AND YOU HAVE AN ESTABLISHMENT GROUP OF FOLKS FIGHTING THAT. WELL, WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO PUT THOSE REFORMS IN PLACE SO THAT EVERY STUDENT CAN BE SUCCESSFUL. ALL RIGHT. I WANT TO MOVE TO A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION THAT WE JUST DID WITH SUPERINTENDENTS HERE IN THE METRO. ONE TOPIC THAT WE DISCUSSED WAS THAT NEW MANDATE THAT DOES REQUIRE ALL OKLAHOMA SCHOOLS TO TEACH THE BIBLE. NOW, WE HEARD FROM SOME OF THOSE SUPERINTENDENTS, THEY SAY THAT IN THE PAST THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO USE THE BIBLE WHEN IT COMES TO CERTAIN LESSONS. BUT SOMETHING THAT THEY DID TALK TO US ABOUT WAS THE ANXIETY THAT SOME OF THE TEACHERS AND FAMILIES FEEL OUT THERE. SO WHAT’S YOUR RESPONSE TO THOSE TEACHERS AND FAMILIES THAT FEEL A BIT NERVOUS MOVING INTO THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR, KNOWING THAT THIS MANDATE IS IN PLACE NOW? WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, YOU’VE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE LIE ABOUT IT, SO YOU’VE HAD THE TEACHERS UNION LIE ABOUT IT. YOU’VE HAD SOME SOME OF THOSE ADMINISTRATORS LIE ABOUT IT. WE WILL NOT LET SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS LIE AND INDOCTRINATE OUR KIDS BY NOT ALLOWING THE INFLUENCE OF THE BIBLE THROUGHOUT AMERICAN HISTORY TO BE TAUGHT, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. SO WHAT WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO IS TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR KIDS UNDERSTAND AMERICAN HISTORY. AND WHEN FOLKS LIKE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR REFERENCE THE BIBLE AND TALK ABOUT THE APOSTLE PAUL AND HIS LETTER FROM A BIRMINGHAM JAIL, WHEN THE PILGRIMS TALK ABOUT THE BIBLE BEING ONE OF THEIR INFLUENCES FOR COMING TO AMERICA, WHEN THOMAS JEFFERSON SAYS, WE’RE ENDOWED BY OUR CREATOR WITH CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS, YOUR KIDS ARE GOING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANT. THEY’RE GOING TO UNDERSTAND THE INFLUENCE THAT THE BIBLE AND CHRISTIANITY HAD IN AMERICAN HISTORY. AGAIN, IN ITS HISTORICAL CONTEXT. SO THE REALITY IS, IS YOUR KIDS ARE GOING TO UNDERSTAND HISTORY BETTER THAN ANY KIDS IN THIS COUNTRY BECAUSE OF THE EFFORTS THAT WE’RE PUTTING FORTH. AND AGAIN, WE’RE NOT GOING TO ALLOW SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS TO INDOCTRINATE KIDS AND LIE TO THEM ABOUT AMERICAN HISTORY. YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER ABOUT MOVING OKLAHOMA UP IN TERMS OF WHERE WE ARE IN EDUCATION, WHERE WE STAND IN THE NATION. I DO WANT TO TALK TO YOU AS WE ARE ENTERING A NEW SCHOOL YEAR. WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES HERE? MOVING INTO THIS NEW SCHOOL YEAR? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. WHAT WE’VE GOT TO CONTINUE TO SEE IS STUDENT PERFORMANCE INCREASE IN OUR SCHOOLS. THAT’S WHERE YOU’VE SEEN US DO MERIT PAY FOR TEACHERS SO THAT YOUR HIGHEST PERFORMING TEACHERS MAKE MORE. WE’VE ALSO SEEN THE LAUNCH OF THE LARGEST TUTORING PROGRAMS IN STATE HISTORY. WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT. WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE OUT LEFT WING INDOCTRINATION. OUR KIDS HAVE A TRUE UNDERSTANDING OF OUR HISTORY. WE WANT OUR KIDS TO BE PROUD OF THIS COUNTRY. WE WANT THEM TO BE PROUD TO BE AMERICANS. WE WANT THEM TO UNDERSTAND AMERICAN HISTORY. SO YOUR KIDS ARE GOING TO GET THAT ROBUST AMERICAN HISTORY SO THEY UNDERSTAND THE ORIGINS OF OUR VALUES AND WHERE AMERICA CAME FROM. AND THEN LASTLY, WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SEE IS OUR EFFORTS TO CONTINUE TO PUT PARENTS IN CHARGE OF THEIR KIDS EDUCATION. THAT MEANS MORE TRANSPARENCY THAT MEANS THAT YOUR SCHOOLS ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK FOR YOU, THE PARENT, BECAUSE YOUR KIDS WERE GIVEN TO YOU BY GOD, NOT TO GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRATS. SO WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO PUT PARENTS IN CHARGE OF THEIR KIDS EDUCATION. WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO REFORM. WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT THE STATUS QUO. THAT OUR SCHOOLS ARE GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL. AND WE’RE SEEING GREAT INDICATIONS OF THAT RIGHT NOW, FRANKLY, OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE A NEW SUPERINTENDENT. I THINK SHE’S DONE A GREAT JOB GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START. AND SO WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SEE THIS ACROSS THE STATE. ALL RIGHT. SUPERINTENDENT RYAN WALTERS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THAT’S ALL THE TIME WE HAVE FOR YOU. NEW SCHO