OKLAHOMA CITY — Rather than choosing a new education secretary for the final five months of his term, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Wednesday he tapped Oklahoma’s state superintendent to serve as his top adviser on school policy.
Lindel Fields will hold both positions, Stitt said, following Education Secretary Dan Hamlin’s recent departure. Oklahoma’s next governor, who would choose his or her own Cabinet officials, will take office in January, as will the next elected state superintendent.
Stitt will reach his term limit of eight years in office after 2026. Fields is not running in this year’s elections to stay in office.
“Lindel has already shown strong, steady leadership, and I am confident he will continue serving Oklahoma students and families with focus and integrity in this expanded role,” Stitt said in a statement.
The governor appointed Fields in October to the state superintendent post, which leads the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the state Board of Education. The appointment became necessary after former state Superintendent Ryan Walters resigned from office with more than a year left in his term.
Walters briefly held both positions of education secretary and state superintendent in 2023. He stepped down from the governor’s Cabinet after Attorney General Gentner Drummond wrote a letter objecting to the arrangement.
Serving in both positions violated laws against dual office holding, Drummond wrote at the time. The attorney general later issued a formal opinion that state agency heads cannot also sit on the governor’s Cabinet, which impacted several of Stitt’s secretaries’ ability to serve.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court struck down Drummond’s opinion, siding with members of Stitt’s Cabinet who sued the Attorney General’s Office.
The opinion reflected the office’s “good-faith reading of the law at the time, but the Court has now resolved the matter, and that resolution governs going forward,” spokesperson Carrie Burkhart said Wednesday.
Stitt’s most recent education secretary, Hamlin, who wasn’t involved in the lawsuit, departed in June after accepting a position at the University of Texas.
Fields said he is “humbled and honored” to be selected for both positions.
“My goal is simple: finish strong, build momentum, and leave Oklahoma’s education system stronger than I found it,” he said in a statement.
Originally published on oklahomavoice.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
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