Ryan Walters resigns as Oklahoma State Superintendent

mike33692
Sep 24
2 min read

Ryan Walters Resigns as Oklahoma State Superintendent

Ryan Walters Announces Exit on FOX News

State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced his resignation Wednesday night during an interview on FOX News. Walters revealed that he will step into a new role as CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance, marking the end of his controversial tenure as Oklahoma’s education chief.

With his resignation, Governor Kevin Stitt is now tasked with appointing a successor to serve out the remainder of Walters’ term.

A Rare Mid-Term Change

This type of leadership shake-up hasn’t happened in Oklahoma since 2021, when Attorney General Mike Hunter resigned and Gov. Stitt appointed John O’Connor as his replacement.

The announcement comes after years of disputes, high-profile controversies, and plummeting student performance ratings.

Strong Reaction from Attorney General Drummond

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued a sharp statement following Walters’ resignation:

“Ever since Gov. Stitt appointed Ryan Walters to serve as Secretary of Education, we have witnessed a stream of never-ending scandal and political drama. From the mishandling of pandemic relief funds that resulted in families buying Xboxes and refrigerators to the latest squabbling with board members over what was or wasn’t showing on TV, the Stitt-Walters era has been an embarrassment to our state. Even worse, test scores and reading proficiency are at historic lows. It’s time for a State Superintendent of Public Instruction who will actually focus on quality instruction in our public schools. Gov. Stitt used to say he would make us Top Ten, but after seven years we are ranked 50th in education. Our families, our students and our teachers deserve so much more.”

Story courtesy of News9. Edited by Radio Oklahoma News for clarity and readability