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OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction announced he is resigning from office live on Fox News on Wednesday night.
The embattled superintendent, who is embroiled in multiple lawsuits in connection with his actions in office, said he will become the CEO of Teacher Freedom Alliance, a new organization formed in opposition to teachers unions. The Teacher Freedom Alliance has 2,617 enrolled members, according to its website. Walters is expected to leave office in early October.
During his appearance on FOX on Wednesday, Walters said his goal is to “destroy the teachers unions.”
“We have seen the teachers unions use money and power to corrupt our schools, to undermine our schools,” he said. “We are one of the biggest grassroots organizations in the country. We will build an army of teachers to defeat the teachers unions once and for all. So, this fight’s going national, and we will get our schools back on track.”
It will be up to Gov. Kevin Stitt to appoint a replacement to finish the last year of Walters’ term, which ends in January 2027. The two have been at odds in recent months, with Walters accusing Stitt of being behind a recent complaint he’d received when school board members saw images of naked women on a television screen during a virtual meeting; the images were later discovered to be from a Jackie Chan movie that aired that morning.
“I wish Ryan and his family the best in this next chapter,” Stitt said in a statement. “Oklahoma students remain my top priority, and with my first appointment to this role, I will be seeking a leader who is fully focused on the job Oklahomans expect: delivering real outcomes and driving a turnaround in our education system.”
Walters, who had cancelled August’s board meeting, did not address his resignation at Thursday’s board meeting.
Board member Mike Tinney made the only reference to Walters’ resignation during the meeting, wishing Walters and his family well.
“It is my desire that we get, if this really happens, that we get a new state superintendent that genuinely cares for the students and the educators and that will work with the board and that will be ethical and honest,” Tinney told reporters afterward.
“I believe that the superintendent’s resignation opens the door for us to now make progress on this board and do what’s best for the children of this state,” said board member Becky Carson.
Walters tenure has been fraught, and an ongoing effort to have him impeached has been underway for most of his term in office. While Oklahoma has slid back into 50th place in education nationwide, Walters has focused on culture wars, including transgender bathroom bans and bibles in the classroom. His effort to include conspiracy theories about the 2020 election is currently being considered by the courts, as is his declaration that teachers coming to Oklahoma from New York and California would have to pass a “radical leftist ideology” exam.
Cutline: walters resigns
Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction announced he is resigning from office live on Fox News on Wednesday night.
