Bixby Superintendent Responds To Criticism From State Superintendent Walters

Bixby Superintendent Rob Miller is responding after State Superintendent Ryan Walters called him a liar at Wednesday's state Board of Education meeting.

The back-and-forth started over the weekend when Bixby Superintendent Rob Miller went to social media to talk about schools not getting Title I funds yet from the State Department of Education. Title I is a federal program that helps low-income students.

Miller says districts used to get preliminary figures in the Spring under other state superintendents but they haven't gotten the data as of late last week. Miller says having those numbers helps districts plan budgets and decide if they need to hire more staff.

Miller blamed the delay on the quote "absence of leadership and accountability" and mentioned Walters directly.

"It's nearly August, and #oklaed schools have yet to receive Title I allocations from OSDE for FY25, which started July 1. Districts used to get preliminary figures in the spring, most recently in May 2022, under prev. SDE leadership. These were helpful in planning budgets," Miller posted." The talent drain at the OSDE and the absence of leadership and accountability are directly responsible for this situation. Maybe Ryan Walters can take a break from his travel and media events, stop by the office (if he remembers where it is), and help us out.

Walters says Title I funding will arrive later this month the same time he says it arrived for more than a decade. He also says Miller never reached out to him for help.

"He's a liar. He's really a true embarrassment. He knows every year when he gets Title I funds in, we're dealing with all kinds of financial problems with his district that we're having to address right now, so Rob's a clown and a liar, and he knows that," said Walters.

Miller responded to Walters on social media, saying Bixby is not experiencing any financial problems and has a clean audit.

"Let me set the record straight - Bixby Schools is not experiencing any financial problems and has a clean audit. He's lying and apparently stuck in middle school," Miller posted "Sir, your remarks crossed a line today. You owe me and Bixby Public Schools an apology. Your false statements and ad hominem attacks are beneath your office. The students and families of oklaed deserve better leadership than that. Let me make this point crystal clear: NEVER again disparage or slander my ethics, integrity, or character in public without evidence. I wore a Marine Officer's uniform while you still crawled in diapers. You're supposed to be a leader. Act like one."

News On 6 has reached out to Walters' office for a comment and will update if there is a response.