Drummond comments on State Board of Education hiring new attorney

OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 3, 2025) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond made the following remarks today after the State Board of Education approved the hiring of a new attorney to represent the board.

"Unfortunately for Oklahoma students and their families, our schools have gone from bad to worse since Gov. Stitt first appointed Ryan Walters as Secretary of Education. We have gone from one scandal to the next, and now we rank 50th in education.

"The latest political drama is yet another squabble between Gov. Stitt’s hand-picked state Superintendent of Public Instruction and his hand-picked State Board of Education members. It seems neither side can agree on which attorney is best to advise them as they do further damage to Oklahoma’s public schools. 

"The board’s decision to hire a politically connected attorney with little to no experience advising a state board is yet another example of the dysfunction that has plagued public education since Gov. Stitt first appointed Ryan Walters. While Mr. Leonard may be a talented plaintiff’s attorney and has counseled the Governor through various legal battles against Oklahoma’s Native American tribes, he is woefully inadequate to serve as general counsel to the State Board of Education."