The moment many students have looked forward to has arrived: Ryan Walters’s resignation.
On September 24, State School Superintendent Ryan Walters announced his resignation from the Oklahoma School Board. His officially stepped down on September 30 citing in his letter, “Serving in elected office is one of the highest honors any citizen can be entrusted with, and I will always be grateful to the people of Oklahoma for granting me that responsibility.”
Since taking office in 2023 as the State Superintendent, Walters has been controversial amongst Oklahoma schools for his right-wing Christian ideology rather than his education initiatives. He pushed for a mandate for Bible study and prayer in school, much to the dismay of students and teachers. In response, he threatened the teaching licenses of teachers who disagreed with his methods. His actions have even prompted democratic legislators to discuss impeachment proceedings, all while Oklahoma remains in the bottom five states in the country in terms of national education measurements.
Walters leaves his position to take up a new role as the chief executive officer of the Teacher Freedom Alliance, a new organization that acts as an “alternate form of union membership” according to Walters. It is part of the Freedom Foundation, a right-leaning organization. Walters began his new job on October 1.
In the wake of his resignation, Governor Kevin Stitt appointed Lindel Fields as Ryan Walters’ replacement. He will serve the rest of Walters’ term which ends in January 2027.
