Sources: OSDE Chief of Staff joining growing list of high-level resignations
Sources tell News 4 Oklahoma State Department of Education Chief of Staff submitted her resignation this week, joining a growing list of high-level department officials who have suddenly resigned in the past month. OSDE won't confirm or deny it.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Sources tell News 4 Oklahoma State Department of Education Chief of Staff submitted her resignation this week, joining a growing list of high-level department officials who have suddenly resigned in the past month.
Numerous sources with knowledge about the situation told News 4 Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) Chief of Staff Jenna Thomas resigned from her role this week.
It is not clear if Thomas is still serving in her role until a replacement can be found, or if her apparent resignation took effect immediately.
News 4's Kaylee Olivas emailed OSDE Spokesperson Dan Isett on Friday with questions about Thomas’s reported resignation. Isett did not respond to her.
News 4's Spencer Humphrey also emailed Isett on Friday with questions about Thomas’s reported resignation. Isett immediately responded to him.
“We do not talk about personnel issues nor are there any changes for the top roles at the agency,” Isett said.
News 4 immediately responded with a follow-up, asking Isett if he could clarify whether that meant Thomas still worked for OSDE. Isett did not respond.
News 4 also asked Isett to provide a copy of Thomas’s resignation letter. He did not respond.
The top Google result when searching “Jenna Thomas Oklahoma State Department of Education” is a link to LinkedIn profile for Thomas, identifying her as OSDE’s chief of staff. However when clicked on, the link opens to a page indicating Thomas’s Linkedin account has been deleted.
Thomas’s resignation would be the latest in numerous high-level resignations at the agency.
OSDE’s Chief Legal Counsel, Associate Legal Counsel and Executive Director of Accreditation have all resigned in the past month.
“One thing about the, Oklahoma Department of Education is you need stability,” said Tim Gilpin, a former Assistant Oklahoma Attorney General and former Oklahoma State School Board Member. “All of us have got to wonder what in the world is going on that they've seen that they don't want to be a part of.”
Having served on the state school board, Gilpin is very familiar with the top-level roles at OSDE and the importance of their functions.
He walked News 4 through each position.
“The chief of staff effectively really runs the Department of Education,” Gilpin said. “The Chief of Staff is directly underneath the Superintendent, and that person typically actually runs the department for the Superintendent. And remember, the Department of Education in Oklahoma is our largest agency. It's a billion-plus dollars. So that person usually has to know what they're doing. The right education and background. They're pivotal to the organization and its ability to run daily.”
“Your General Counsel and their office is going to make sure that what you're doing and how you're doing it is legal and that you're following the laws,” Gilpin said. “A General Counsel is incredibly important to all that somebody you rely upon heavily.”
“The Associate General Counsel—particularly for administrative rules and policy—that’s the person responsible to make sure specifically that what you're implementing follow state law,” Gilpin said.
“The Director of Accreditation is another pivotal position in our State Department of Education,” he said. “That's the person who deals with all the school districts and makes sure they meet the requirements of accreditation. Recently, there's been some controversy, particularly regarding Tulsa Public Schools and their accreditation. Usually an accreditation person or the director is in charge of dealing with the districts and any problems.”
In Gilpin’s experience, resignations of this magnitude usually point to something bigger.
“Quick resignations tell you typically that person is seeing something they don't like, and they don't want to be a part of,” Gilpin said. “I don't know if that means that there's going to be legal investigations or something of that sort. But it also might mean that the way the department's being run could lead to legal problems and they don't want to be a part of that. Those folks in those high-level positions typically are professional and they have reputations to upkeep, and they want to work and they want to do a good job. And if they're concerned that they can't do that or that something's wrong, then they get out.”
The resignations also raise red flags for Oklahoma House of Representatives Education Committee Chair, State Representative Mark McBride (R-Moore).
“That's concerning to me because these are all professional people,” McBride said. “I have a request in in wanting to know everybody that's resigned since July one of 2023 just to get a better feel for that.”
So far, McBride says OSDE hasn’t fulfilled that request.
“They say that they're not concerned about the staff they've lost—that they're being more efficient,” he said. “But I'm saying—when you're losing your top attorneys, that's concerning.”