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State Superintendent of Schools Ryan Walters announced on FOX News he’s resigning from office to lead an anti-teacher-union organization. Walters starts as chief executive officer of the Teacher Freedom Alliance on Oct. 1, the organization said.
The Freedom Foundation, a national conservative think tank, founded the Teacher Freedom Alliance in March to offer liability insurance, professional development and alternative teaching methods and curricula. The Teacher Freedom Alliance has just under 2,800 teachers enrolled, according to its website.
A former history teacher from McAlester, Walters didn’t mention his resignation at Thursday’s meeting of the board of education, which he chairs. And he hadn’t submitted his resignation to the governor as of Thursday afternoon.
Walters was elected superintendent in 2022.
His resignation means Gov. Kevin Stitt will appoint a candidate to fulfill the rest of his term, through January 2027. Under state statute, that person must be a registered voter in Oklahoma for at least 10 years and at least 31 years old.
Stitt, in a written statement, said he’s seeking to appoint someone who is fully focused on delivering educational outcomes and driving a turnaround in the state’s educational system.
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