Beth Wallis
Education ReporterBeth Wallis is StateImpact Oklahoma's education reporter. She joined the collaborative in December 2021, initially focusing on environment and science reporting.
Beth holds two degrees from Oklahoma State University. After teaching band at a public school for five years, she pursued another degree — this time in journalism at The University of Oklahoma.
Previously, Beth was a student reporter for KGOU and The Oklahoma Daily.
In April 2021, she worked with Next Generation Radio, reporting on the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre. The digital journalism and audio training project was a collaboration between KOSU and the OSU School of Strategic Communications.
Beth is also a News21 Fellowship alum, and the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists, Professional Chapter awarded her first place for At the Seams podcast, which chronicled the community of Norman, Okla. during calls to defund the police, recalls of local politicians and ongoing threats and harassment.
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Three former Oklahoma State Department of Education employees are taking legal action over their terminations from the agency. -
StateImpact’s Logan Layden sat down with education reporter Beth Wallis for a breakdown of what education measures Oklahomans are going to get for their money after a contentious 2023 legislative session.
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State Superintendent Ryan Walters is again taking aim at teachers’ unions, this time with the announcement of an Oklahoma State Department of Education public awareness campaign he says highlights teacher unions’ positions on issues.
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Walters repeatedly emphasized his focus on open communication with superintendents around the state. But when StateImpact sent out a survey to those superintendents, a much more complex picture emerged.
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After a months-long standoff, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and legislative leaders are celebrating a deal on this year’s education budget worth $625 million in recurring funds and $160 million in one-time funds.
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A whistleblower who formerly worked at the Oklahoma State Department of Education claims Superintendent Ryan Walters’ administration failed to follow through on federal grant contracts worth millions of dollars, and that he outright lied to lawmakers about the status of grants.
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Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced in a Thursday press conference he felt the months-long legislative stalemate over education funding was coming to an end. But, Senate leaders say that’s not the case.
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The Oklahoma legislature has been deadlocked for weeks as it hashes out a plan for education funding. StateImpact’s Beth Wallis sat down with The Oklahoman’s education reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel to talk about the events at the Capitol that led up to this moment.
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A fight over education funding has caught dozens of unrelated bills in the crossfire. Now, there are questions on whether there is enough political will or time to overturn Gov. Stitt's vetoes.
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State Superintendent Ryan Walters addressed a packed room of lawmakers for two and half hours Monday about his policy proposals and rhetoric — and things got heated.
