Scandal-Plagued Oklahoma Schools Chief Ryan Walters Steps Down to Lead Anti-Teachers Union Group

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He once called Oklahoma Teachers Unions a “terrorist organization”. Now, the superintendent of the state Ryan Walters threatens to “destroy” teacher unions on a national level.

A former history teacher in a small town who waged a cultural war against educators on issues such as sexually explicit books and criticism from President Donald Trump, Walters announced his resignation on Wednesday evening to become CEO of Teacher Freedom Alliance, an anti-union initiative of Freedom Foundation, a conservative reflection group.

“We are going to build a teaching army to defeat teachers’ unions once and for all,” he told Fox News. “This fight becomes national and we will recover our schools.”

Walters was to go to the Republican primary for the governor next year. But he had more and more alienated “almost everyone” in state leadership, said Deven Carlson, professor of political science at the University of Oklahoma. “I think there was still a basic support in the state’s pockets, but it was not clear how it was going to translate into the things you might need to win, say, the election of the Governor of 2026.”

First of all, as a Secretary of Education of the Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, then as the head of the elected schools of the State for almost three years, Walters established a reputation for a mark of titles and sometimes even a brand of Christian nationalism. Even before his election in 2022, Walters distinguished teachers whom he considered too “awake” for the schools of Oklahoma. Once in power, he quickly moved to revoke the teaching certificates of educators accused of having violated laws against the so-called “division concepts”.

With little initial opposition from the majority of the GOP of the State, he made news almost daily for controversial actions such as threatening to take control of Tulsa schools and impose class bibles approved by Trump. No later than this week, he announced that each Oklahoma high school would have a USA turning point chapter, the conservative organization focused on young Charlie Kirk founded in 2012. Most Fox information on Wednesday Walters joined the organization of the organization since Kirk was killed on September 10 in UTA.

“We have never seen a national movement like this of so many children, so many parents if willing to intervene and say:” Listen, we must put the country on the right track. ” He said. “We have to divert ourselves from this radical leftism.”

While Walters kept a calendar occupied appearances on the right -wing media, at home, republican legislators began to criticize the head of state for financial missteps, such as delaying school funds for safety upgrades. The former state representatives said that he had not communicated on routine state affairs. He has promoted more solid literacy education, recently launching a new tutoring initiative, but his manner of division has overshadowed his efforts to focus on learning.

Big news tonight on @FoxNews with @Tracegallagher .

The worst nightmare of Liberal is about to become true.

Adjust.@FoxNeWsnight– Ryan Walters (@ryanwalters_) September 25, 2025

A republican who repeatedly questioned Walters’ competence for work and supported the surveys to find out if he should be dismissed said that the superintendent’s departure was a “very positive decision for Oklahoma”.

The former state representative, Mark McBride, said that he hoped that the republican person Governor Kevin Stitt appoints in an interim replacement has “no agenda to work with students and teachers to improve results”. McBride, who led a sub-comity of education in the House, said that he would also love to serve Oklahoma as such “, but had not yet spoken to the governor of the possibility.

Walters was an early defender of the efforts of the Freedom Foundation to weaken teachers’ unions. He appeared to the summits of teachers in 2023 and 2024 of the group.

“It is about power and money,” he said about the unions of last year’s event. “They care less about the results of students’ tests.”

When the Foundation launched the new alliance earlier this year, Walters published a press release approving the initiative, which prompted state legislator to ask the Oklahoma general prosecutor to investigate its legality.

Corey Deangelis, defender of school choices and union criticism, said that Walters was the right person for the position.

“Ryan Walters has the tenacity necessary to take the unions head -on,” said Deangelis, the main member of the American culture project, an effort to mobilize independent voters around issues such as the choice of school and tax alternatives. “His fearless plea against the status quo is exactly what we need to direct a massive exodus of the teacher union cartel.”

An enthusiastic supporter of Maga, Walters frequently expressed his admiration for President Trump, even by ordering schools last year to show a video of praying for the president.

But the administration has not always reciprocal.

The Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, would have snubbed her during a judgment of August in the State. Carlson suggested that the education department probably coordinated the visit with the Stitt office and, with “Little Love Lost” between the two men, “Walters did not do the route”.

Until now, officials of the department have been criticized by his proposal to eliminate federal test requirements in the state and said he was wrong to suggest that McMahon would likely approve of it.

While Stitt, current president of the National Governor’s Association, initially supported Walters’ political aspirations, the two were no longer “on the same wavelength,” said Carlson. “I think the governor has become frustrated by the effects that Walters’ initiatives have on his economic development program.”

The state, for example, has received negative attention for a 50th education in a ranking.

Shortly before Walters embarked on politics, he was a award -winning history professor in the McALESTER school district, not far from the line of the Arkansas State. Former students saw him as just and inclusive, not the Brand Anti-LGBTQ which he later became as State Director. His love for teaching impressed McBride when the two for the first time in 2018.

Despite a series of scandals, Walters has always rebounded. An investigation into his management of public funds last year found no missing faults or money. More recently, he was denied from any criminal accusation following an investigation into the reasons why a film with nude scenes, Jackie Chan’s action film, “The Protector”, played on a television in his office at a meeting of the State School. Oklahoma County District Prosecutor Vicki Behenna said she had found insufficient evidence that he had violated the law.

‘Constant distraction’

The episode was one of the many who kept Walters in the news. Educational defenders, which Walters frequently accused of indoctrinating students with left -wing ideas, expressed relief on Wednesday evening.

“We can resume the real objective of teaching without constant distraction and the big titles of the superintendent of the State,” said Jami Jackson-Cole, a teacher who moderates a Facebook group of educators and defenders of Oklahoma.

While Walters leaves next month, they wonder who will take place not only for the remaining 15 months of his mandate, but during the 2026 elections.

With McBride, other rumors would be possible candidates for the temporary superintendent, in particular Nellie Sanders, Secretary of Education of Stitt. Former member of a board of directors in Charter, she voted for the approval of the first school with a religious charter in the country. Earlier this year, the United States Supreme Court divided 4-4 to know if the school violated the first amendment, allowing the decision of the Supreme Court of the State prohibiting taxes from financed school to stand.

Whatever the situation that ends the rest of the term of Walters, the defenders also begin to examine the files of the people who present themselves to the superintendent of the State. Republican candidates include Rob Miller and John Cox, two superintendents. Two former members of the board of directors of Tulsa, Democrat Jennettie Marshall and independent Jerry Griffin, also filed documents to participate in the race.

With Walters “being out of the photo, maybe Oklahomans who are serious about public education can now go to work to turn this ship,” said Erika Wright, education organizer for Oklahoma Appleseed, a non-profit law firm.

She works with a coalition of organizations to develop a five -year program for state schools which focuses on the teaching profession, students’ performance, education and school safety.

“The possibilities in front of us are really exciting,” she said, “but the work is not done.”