Restoring Trust in Schools & Education Transparency

Oklahoma parents and teachers are fed up. A lawsuit filed in May 2025 by Oklahoma Watch against the state Department of Education, led by Superintendent Ryan Walters, accuses the agency of hiding public records, like a resignation letter tied to questionable hiring practices.

Meanwhile, a new social studies curriculum, approved in February 2025, pushes debunked 2020 election claims, sparking outrage among parents who want facts, not agendas, in classrooms. With Oklahoma’s education system ranked 49th nationally, trust is crumbling.

The School Transparency Act

The candidate’s answer is the School Transparency Act, a policy to make Oklahoma’s education system open and accountable. This law would require all curriculum materials, from lesson plans to textbooks, to be posted online monthly for every school district. Budgets, including how much goes to salaries or new programs, would also be public, updated in real time.

To keep parents involved, each district would form a Parent Advisory Council, with elected moms and dads reviewing standards and giving feedback before they’re adopted. “Parents deserve to know what their kids are learning,” Leisa says. The act would be funded by trimming administrative costs, like high-paid consultants with no classroom experience, saving millions without new taxes.

Her plan directly tackles the curriculum controversy. The new social studies standards, which ask students to “identify discrepancies” in the 2020 election, were slipped into the final draft without proper board review, per the lawsuit. Leisa’s act would prevent such last-minute changes by mandating public drafts be posted 30 days before votes.

This stops hidden agendas, ensuring teachers like those in Tulsa aren’t forced to teach unvetted material misaligned with textbooks. Her faith in fairness drives this: “Our kids need truth, not politics.” By empowering parents and teachers, she aims to rebuild trust in a system that’s failed too long.

Empowering Parents, Strengthening Education

The impact of Leisa’s plan would be felt across Oklahoma. Imagine a mom in Lawton checking her school’s website to see exactly what’s taught in her son’s history class, or a dad in Stillwater joining a council to shape math standards. Schools would become partners, not adversaries, for families worried about the 49th ranking.

The transparency act would also ease teachers’ burdens. Educators, already stretched thin, struggle with standards that don’t match their training, as the lawsuit notes. Leisa’s policy ensures curricula are clear and consistent, letting teachers focus on reading and math, where Oklahoma lags.

Public budget reports would expose wasteful spending, like the $33 million spent on the flawed curriculum, redirecting funds to classrooms. She believes parents, not bureaucrats, should guide education. The Parent Advisory Councils give every community a voice, whether in urban OKC or rural Idabel.

Her experience as a city manager taught her how to cut waste while delivering results, and she’ll apply that to schools. Unlike leaders who dodge accountability, Leisa’s open-door governance invites scrutiny. “If we’re failing our kids, we fix it together,” she says.

This plan doesn’t just address the lawsuit’s concerns; it sets a new standard for trust, ensuring schools serve students, not special interests.

Oklahoma’s education crisis, fueled by secrecy and divisive standards, demands action. The candidate’s School Transparency Act is a conservative fix that opens classrooms to parents, protects teachers, and rebuilds faith in learning.

By posting curricula and budgets online and empowering Parent Advisory Councils, she’ll end the distrust exposed by the Oklahoma Watch lawsuit and curriculum backlash. Her faith guides her belief that honest education lifts every child. In 2026, she asks Oklahomans to choose a future where schools are clear, strong, and focused on success.