Ryan Walters Steps Down to Head Conservative Educators Association

OKLAHOMA CITY () Republican Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s top public schools official, announced Wednesday in a national news television interview he is resigning from his role to become the CEO of a conservative educators group.

Walters, 40, said Wednesday night on Fox News he is stepping away from public instruction to lead the Teacher Freedom Alliance, a nonprofit that says it assists educators “in their mission to develop free, moral, and upright American citizens.”

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

Walters has been polarizing in his leadership decisions, with many Oklahomans publicly expressing praise or frustration with some of his biggest moves. Walters has previously ordered public schools to teach from the Bible and ordered schools to show students a video of him praying for President Donald Trump.

Walters told in August he was ensuring the state’s school curriculum was in line with Trump’s orders to ban “woke ideologies” in education.

“Here in Oklahoma, we’re following President Trump’s lead here to get back to truth and reality into our schools,” Walters told . “We will teach science the way that it is, and we will also teach American history in a patriotic way, and we’re unapologetic about that.”

At the time Walters took office, Oklahoma was ranked 49th in education and 47th in spending per student according to education reports.

Just Tuesday, Walters announced that Oklahoma high schools will have Turning Point USA chapters. He said parents, teachers and students “want their young people to be engaged in a process that understands free speech, open engagement, dialogue about American greatness, a dialogue around American values.”

Charlie Kirk founded the organization to mobilize young, Christian conservatives. It has seen a surge in interest and support since the activist’s killing on Sept. 10.

‘s Jordan Perkins contributed to this report.