Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters (R) is resigning to helm an organization pledging to take on teachers’ unions. 

The head of Oklahoma’s public education will become the CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance (TFA) on Oct. 1, he told Fox News Wednesday night. 

“We’re [going to] destroy the teachers’ unions,” Walters said. “We have seen the teachers’ union use money and power to corrupt our schools, to undermine our schools.”

The TFA, according to its website, “exists to assist educators in their mission to develop free, moral, and upright American citizens.”

The organization says 2,770 teachers are members. It is part of the Freedom Foundation, a conservative, anti-union organization.

“Unlike the teacher unions, we are not dictating our prescription on the education system; instead, we are working with teachers like you to fix what you see in classrooms, schools, and districts across the country,” TFA’s website adds. 

On Wednesday, Walters said the TFA, “will build an army of teachers to defeat the teachers’ unions once and for all.” In a TFA statement released Thursday, he called the organization’s mission “a battle for the future of our kids.”

The Hill has reached out to the Oklahoma offices of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA) for comment. 

Walters took office in January of 2023, after two-plus years as Oklahoma’s Secretary of Education. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) appointed Walters to the role in September 2020.

During his time in office, Walters has prioritized conservative culture war issues and aligned himself with President Trump. On Tuesday, he announced a partnership with Turning Point USA that will establish chapters in all Oklahoma public high schools.  

Turning Point USA’s founder, Charlie Kirk, was fatally shot at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. 

Last October, Walters required all Oklahoma public school classrooms to feature the Bible and mandated that teachers incorporate lessons on the Bible’s role in American history.

The initial mandate required the Bibles include historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. In March 2024, Trump began selling “God Bless the USA Bibles” that included those two documents.

But the requirement was later changed to no longer include the founding documents requirement, with the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services citing the Trump-endorsed book’s price tag. 

Walters also called for a national requirement for Bibles in schools in November, and has pushed for educators to teach “Amercan exceptionalism.”

In order to officially resign, Walters must file a notice to Stitt. The governor will then appoint a successor to serve the rest of Walters’s term through January 2027. 

The Hill has reached out to Stitt’s office for comment.