Rep. Rhonda Baker, a prominent figure in Oklahoma education as chair of the state House Education Committee, has announced that she will not seek re-election this year.
Baker (R-Yukon), 55, could serve two more terms under Oklahoma's 12-year term limit law. A former classroom teacher, she has served as her education committee chair since 2016, when she began her first term in the House. She was elected after her predecessor in House District 60, Dan Fisher, also left the House before the end of her term.
In 2016, he easily defeated his Democratic challenger with 67.4% of the vote. In 2018, 2020, and 2022, he retained his seat because there was no Democratic challenger in the general election, but in 2022 he needed to survive a close Republican primary, and his challenger won 50.8% of the vote. He defeated Ron Lynch.
“It has been an extraordinary honor to serve the people of House District 60 for the past eight years,” Baker said in a statement. “I am blessed to work with some of the most dedicated and talented leaders in my district and in communities across Oklahoma. I have seen firsthand the challenges facing our state. , Still, I am optimistic that determined and capable Oklahomans will seize the opportunity.''They could make our state the best it can be.''
“I recognize that there is still much work to do and am committed to continuing to advance the cause of public education throughout my life.”
In recent years, Baker has worked closely with Rep. Mark McBride (R-Moore), chairman of the House Appropriations and Education Subcommittee, on education-related legislation, including a bill to support pay raises for teachers in Oklahoma. We have been cooperating on this.
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She proposed a bill passed in 2020 that aims to address disparities between urban and rural school districts in the number of Advanced Placement classes offered.
In December, she, along with McBride and House Speaker Charles McCaul, signed a rare congressional subpoena to state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters. The subpoena ordered Walters to turn over information about his work within the Oklahoma State Department of Education that lawmakers had been requesting for months. Mr. Walters responded to the subpoena.
“Congressman Baker has been dedicated to making education better in Oklahoma since he was elected,” McBride said. “During her eight-year tenure, we collaborated on numerous issues, including the largest spending increase in state history for public education. Her position will be difficult for anyone to fill. She is simply More than a colleague, he is one of my closest friends.”
In addition to his work on the Education Committee, Mr. Baker also served on the Education Appropriations Subcommittee and the House Higher Education and Career Tech Committee. The Oklahoma State Department of Higher Education awarded Mr. Baker with the department's Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on the Concurrent Education Task Force.
Rhonda Baker also serves on numerous additional legislative bodies.
Outside of Congress, Mr. Baker serves as Chair of the Education Committee of the Southern Legislative Conference and Vice Chair of the Advisory Committee of the Southern Regional Board of Education. In 2023, she was named a Fellow of the Hunt Keene Leadership Institute, an intensive leadership training program for government and business leaders across the country.
Mr. Baker is one of 11 elected officials in the Southern United States region to participate in the Leadership Skills Development Center and one of two elected representatives as Early Learning Fellows by the National Conference of State Legislatures. One of them. She also serves on the Commission on the Status of Women.
Baker said his proudest accomplishments in the Legislature included negotiating increased education spending “while advocating for more school choice than any other state in Oklahoma history.”
