Oklahoma governor names new superintendent, unveils 'turnaround' team

Gov. Kevin Stitt announced at Eisenhower International School in Tulsa that he has appointed a new leader for the Oklahoma Department of Education and unveiled a statewide “turnaround” team to overhaul the agency. The governor introduced the appointee and several team members and said the administration will review contracts and vendors inside the agency while urging the legislature to send a ballot measure to make the superintendent an appointed position.

The announcement named the superintendent-designate (referred to in the event transcript with inconsistent spellings) and introduced members of the turnaround team, including Dan Hamlin, whom Stitt said will join the team as secretary of education. Stitt said the team will “rebuild a vital agency and return focus to the mission of serving Oklahoma students.”

Stitt framed the appointment as part of a broader effort to improve Oklahoma’s education outcomes, saying the state now has “record savings, over $3,000,000,000 in our savings account” and that more graduates are remaining in-state. He urged lawmakers to consider changing the current system, in which the superintendent is elected, to allow future governors to appoint the superintendent: “I urge the legislature to take this opportunity to send to the ballot an appointment authority for the next governor to be able to appoint the superintendent of education,” he said.

Lyndall, the superintendent-designate, told the audience he brings more than 30 years in education and outlined three priorities for the agency: reading proficiency, teacher recruitment and retention, and career pathways. “If you’re not taking care of the students, take care of someone who is,” Lyndall said, describing a personnel-first approach and promising to “steady the ship.”

Stitt said the turnaround team will review “every contract, look at every vendor” inside the department and assess disputed contracts raised by reporters, including those criticized as politically motivated. “We will assess all of the contracts to look at, their value, what value they’re bringing to the students,” he said when asked about specific vendors.

On staffing, Stitt said some turnover is expected as the new leadership team assesses the agency; he said it was his understanding that at least one previously mentioned official “is no longer at the agency.” He added that the team will try to “get the politics out of that agency and focus on getting the money to the tech classrooms, to the teachers.”

Reporters asked whether the superintendent-designate planned to run for office after the 15-month turnaround; Lyndall replied he did not plan to run and that he was “laser focused on what needs to be done at the state agency to right that ship.”

The governor invited several named education leaders to the stage and asked the public for “patience” while the team works over the coming months to implement changes. Stitt also said he and the team plan to study international models of career and technical education highlighted during the event and use those learnings to expand career pathways in Oklahoma schools.

The announcement was presented as an executive appointment by the governor; the event record does not show any legislative confirmation or formal vote on the appointment during the press event.