OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A freshman Republican legislator from Stroud is calling for State Superintendent Janet Barresi and two top-level education officials to step down after the department announced the hiring of a new assistant superintendent.
Representative Jason Smalley issued a statement Wednesday calling for resignations from Barresi, new assistant superintendent Larry Birney and the department's general counsel Kim Richey, who is married to Birney. He also wants a hiring and firing freeze at the Department of Education.
Smalley referred to Birney as a "good ol' boy hire."
Department spokesman Phil Bacharach says Birney is well qualified for the $90,000 a year position, with a background in law enforcement and a doctorate in education.
Bacharach says the three officials have no plans to resign and said Smalley's comments were "grandstanding, with all due respect."