Oklahoma

Walters announces signing bonuses for rural Oklahoma teachers, despite past controversy

Published

2 years ago

June 11, 2024

Walters announces signing bonuses for rural Oklahoma teachers, despite past controversy

Nuria Martinez-Keel
| Oklahoma Voice

The Oklahoma State Department of Education announced it will offer another round of signing bonuses to attract teachers to rural schools. Meanwhile, the agency is reportedly negotiating a settlement agreement with two teachers it paid previous bonuses to in error.

State Superintendent Ryan Walters said on Monday his agency will offer signing bonuses of $15,000 to $25,000 to secondary math and science teachers who agree to work in a public school in rural Oklahoma for the next school year.

A similar signing bonus program from the agency lured more than 500 certified educators back to Oklahoma schools last year, but it stirred significant controversy and attracted scrutiny from lawmakers when a few teachers were later told to return the money they had been paid.

“I am thrilled to continue bringing in highly qualified teachers to Oklahoma classrooms,” Walters said in a statement. “Oklahoma is a great place to live and work, and we are making it easier than ever for teachers to come to our great state and have an enormous impact on our young people.”

Eligible teachers cannot have taught in an Oklahoma public school in the 2023-24 school year. They must have a teaching certification for secondary math or science and be hired to teach in a rural school for the 2024-25 year.

The agency provided a list of 384 schools that fit the definition of a rural locale, according to criteria from the National Center for Education Statistics. One school on the list no longer exists, Sovereign Community School.

The Education Department called the program the “most successful teacher recruitment effort in state history.”

The agency awarded bonuses last year to a handful of teachers who didn’t meet the criteria and, months later, demanded they repay. Walters informed the state Legislature his agency also had mistakenly underpaid other recipients.

Two of the teachers who were told to repay their bonuses, Kay Bojorquez and Kristina Stadelman, sued the department and Walters in Oklahoma County District Court, alleging breach of contract and defamation.

Their attorney, Mark Hammons, said they have reached a tentative settlement with the Education Department and intend to finalize it this week.

Both teachers were approved for the program and received bonuses of $50,000 in October and November. In January, they received letters from the agency, informing them they never actually qualified and owed the full $50,000 back.

More than $20,000 of each bonus was withheld for taxes, and Bojorquez, of Osage County, and Stadelman, of Oklahoma County, had spent the rest of the money before the Education Department demanded they return it, according to their lawsuit.

Walters said the errant bonuses were the result of the teachers putting “misinformation” in their applications. That statement was defamatory, Bojorquez and Stadelman said. The teachers asked a judge to order Walters to pay them at least $75,000 each for defamation.

The Education Department and Walters have since countersued the teachers, asking for the full bonuses to be returned plus the cost of attorney fees. The agency said Bojorquez and Stadelman, by applying for and accepting the bonuses, represented that they hadn’t taught in an Oklahoma public school the previous year when, in fact, they had.

The two teachers said they truthfully reported their work history. They contend the situation was caused by the agency’s “own alleged negligence or malfeasance in giving such approval.”

“It would be financially impossible for the plaintiff to repay the signing bonus,” their lawsuit states.

Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on Facebook and Twitter.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma AG & 21 other state attorneys general sue Uber over unfair subscription services

Published

11 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma AG & 21 other state attorneys general sue Uber over unfair subscription services

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is taking action against Uber Technologies LLC and Uber USA LLC after alleging the use of deceptive and unfair practices in selling subscription services.

According to the Drummond office, the lawsuit against Uber Technologies LLC and Uber USA LLC seeks to uncover an alleged variety of unfair operations in selling Uber One subscription services.

On Monday, Drummond, alongside a coalition of 21 other state attorneys general, joined the lawsuit filed initially by the Federal Trade Commission.

Drummond says the lawsuit alleges the following:

Uber is accused of improperly using negative option marketing tactics when it offered free trial subscriptions – a practice that automatically charges consumers if they do not cancel a free trial.
Uber allegedly misled consumers about the amounts they could save when subscribing to Uber One and made it extraordinarily difficult for consumers to cancel once enrolled.
Uber is also accused of charging consumers before their billing date, including users whose free trial had not yet ended.

“Oklahoma law prohibits deceptive trade practices and I will always fight to hold accountable any company who breaks the law,” Drummond said. “Unless Uber is stopped in court, they are likely to continue cheating and harming hardworking Oklahomans.”

The AG’s office says the lawsuit seeks restitution, penalties, costs, and an injunction against Uber for alleged violations of Oklahoma’s Consumer Protection Act and the U.S. Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act.

The lawsuit is currently scheduled for trial on February 2027, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Here is the state coalition list; in addition to Oklahoma, it includes Maryland, Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as the District Attorney for Alameda County in California.

Click complaint to read the lawsuit.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma Running Back Upgraded on Second College Football Playoff Availability Report

Published

23 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma Running Back Upgraded on Second College Football Playoff Availability Report

Oklahoma running back Jovantae Barnes was upgraded on the second College Football Playoff availability report of the week.

Barnes appeared on Tuesday’s report as probable, but he was left off Wednesday’s report, meaning he will be available for Friday’s contest against Alabama.

Barnes appeared in four games during the regular season, carrying the ball 19 times for 45 yards and a touchdown. He also caught one pass for 16 yards.

The senior running back was able to redshirt by only playing in four games. Postseason games, including the College Football Playoff, do not count against eligibility, so Barnes will be able to maintain eligibility in 2026 and still be able to take the field for the Sooners in the CFP.

Oklahoma’s main injury concern, center Jake Maikkula, continues to linger.

Maikkula was listed as questionable on the report for the second straight day.

Maikkula missed OU’s regular-season finale against LSU due to what Brent Venables labeled as an “infection”. He was fully suited up during a brief 15-minute practice viewing window on Monday, but he was working off to the side instead of with Oklahoma’s starting offensive line group.

Six bridges damaged by semi truck hauling ‘illegally over-height’ load, Oklahoma Turnpike Authority says

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Six bridges damaged by semi truck hauling ‘illegally over-height’ load, Oklahoma Turnpike Authority says

Oklahoma authorities are investigating multiple bridge strikes that occurred along the I-44/Will Rogers Turnpike on Tuesday afternoon.

On December 16, 2025, “an illegally over-height commercial motor vehicle drove this afternoon from Tulsa to near Miami,” causing damage to “multiple county bridges above the I-44/Will Rogers Turnpike,” according to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA).

The OTA notes that “it is illegal for trucks taller than 14 feet to travel the state highway system without permits and approved routes. The bridges damaged today range from 14 feet and 11 inches to 15 feet and 4 inches in vertical clearance, well above the legal limit.”

OTA

“We are continuing to see damage to our state transportation infrastructure from illegal, over-height semi-trucks. This is a critical issue that puts the traveling public at risk and is unacceptable. We are extremely grateful no one was injured in this incident,” OTA Executive Director Joe Echelle said. “We implore truck drivers to follow all Oklahoma laws and work with the state’s Size and Weights permitting office to ensure that all travelers are safe on our roadways and that our infrastructure remains undamaged by these careless acts.”

Officials say that the following bridges were struck:

E. 530 Rd. – closed between S. 4130 Rd. and Lakeway Rd.
S. 4220 Rd. – closed between E. 460 Rd. and E. 470 Rd. east of Claremore
N. 429 Rd. – closed between E. 390 Rd. and SH-28
N. 4300 Rd. – closed between E. 380 Rd. and W. 390 Rd.
N. 4310 Rd. – open
W. 370 Rd. – open

The Will Rogers Turnpike is open, but drivers should expect temporary delays as crews continue to inspect the damaged bridges.

“OTA is working closely with officials from Rogers County, City of Claremore, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and ODOT in response to this incident,” the agency said.

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