Senator questions State Board nominee on social studies standards; nominee says board made post‑comment changes

During a confirmation hearing on April 29, State Board of Education nominee John Wesley No Fire answered questions about the process the board used to finalize new social studies standards.

Senator Sarah Hicks asked whether the version of the social studies standards that was made available for public comment matched the version later voted on by the board. "It's been brought to my attention that the version of social studies standards that was available for public comment was actually different than the version the board voted on," Hicks said, asking No Fire to describe what changed.

No Fire replied that the board followed statutorily guided processes: public comments are collected, the board considers requested changes and then the board votes on a final version. He told the committee he could not outline the exact document-level differences at the hearing: "I wish I had those in front of me to to outline those exact details of which ones were changed." He added that there were "quite a few changes" made by the board after public comment.

The exchange focused on process rather than alleging specific substantive edits; No Fire characterized the steps the board follows and emphasized adherence to the legislative guidelines for handling public comment. The committee subsequently moved his nomination by roll call and declared it passed.

The committee record does not include a document comparison; officials or stakeholders seeking details should consult the State Board of Education's published materials and the board's official meeting records for a line-by-line account of edits.