By Constitution Staff

Ryan Walters resigned as State Superintendent of Public Instruction, effective September 30, to become Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Teacher Freedom Alliance (TFA). The new national organization was founded by the Freedom Foundation earlier this year and provides professional support services and resources to educators as an alternative to traditional union membership. The TFA provides educators with liability insurance, professional development opportunities, continuing education credit hours, and access to alternative curricula.

In Oklahoma, teachers have long had an alternative to the Oklahoma Education Association (OEA), the Professional Oklahoma Educators (POE), which does not support the left-wing agenda of the OEA or the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) unions.

On October 2, Governor Stitt named Lindel Fields of Tulsa to serve the remainder of Walters’ term which expires in January 2027. Fields has had over 30 years of experience in Oklahoma’s CareerTech system and ended his career as the Superintendent and CEO of the Oklahoma Tri-County Technology Center. Fields said he will not seek election to the post next year.

The governor also announced that Nellie Sanders would be leaving his cabinet as Secretary of Education and named University of Oklahoma professor Dan Hamlin as his new Secretary of Education. Hamlin is Presidential Professor in education policy and Faculty Director of the Oklahoma Center for Education Policy (OCEP) at the University of Oklahoma. He is the founding director of OCEP, Editor-in-Chief of the Oklahoma Education Journal, and Research Affiliate at the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University.

Governor Stitt said Zach Archer and Sarah Lepak would be “stepping away” as members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education and would be replaced with Wes Nofire and former board member Brian Bobek. Nofire has previously served as the governor’s Native American liaison, and Bobek currently serves as the director of the governor’s Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives.

And, Governor Stitt announced the creation of a Turnaround Team. The seven-member group composed of Oklahomans with special experience in education and organizational leadership to assist in the implementation of a new future for the state education agency.

Walters was elected Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2022. Previous to his election to the post, Governor Stitt had appointed Walters to his cabinet as Education Secretary in 2020. He had also served as executive director of Every Kid Counts Oklahoma. He previously taught history at McAlester High School, and advanced placement U.S. History at Millwood High School in Oklahoma City and McAlester High School.

The teachers unions and education establishment spent millions of dollars opposing Walters in the Republican Primary and later in the General Election. But, Walters won in November 2022 with 56.78% of the vote.

The teachers unions and education establishment, aided by the general media, continued their opposition to Walters following his election. He was continually vilified and often his initiatives were misrepresented.

In the final months before his resignation, he became the victim of a sensational attack initiated by two new board members. Becky Carson and Ryan Deatherage who had been recently appointed by Governor Kevin Stitt – who had turned against Walters after he was elected superintendent. On July 24, the State Board of Education held an executive session in Walters’ office. Walters’ back was to the television, and the two new members complained about seeing objectionable material on the TV and Walters turned the TV off.

The following day, the pair went to the news media saying they saw nudity on the television in Walters’ office. A complaint was filed with Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) about nude women being shown on the television. OMES, which was involved with the acquisition of the TV, asked the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s office to join the investigation.

OMES and the sheriff investigators determined the source of the nude images was an accidental display of a 1985 Jackie Chan movie “The Protector” which had an “R” rating. The default factory settings of the Samsung TV set caused it to automatically tune to Samsung’s TV Plus Channel 1204, the “Movie Hub Action” network, whenever the TV was turned on, regardless of what channel was previously viewed. The Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office, which also became involved, determined the evidence in the case did not support criminal charges.

On his first day on the job as CEO of the TFA, Walters addressed the OCPAC Foundation (Original Constitutional Principles Affection Culture) luncheon. Walters reviewed for the attendees his attempts to reform education in Oklahoma and what he would be doing in his new role at TFA. Walters has frequently addressed the group in recent years and received a standing ovation at this latest appearance.

In the announcement of his new position at TFA, Walters issued a statement concerning his future work. “For decades, union bosses have poisoned our schools with politics and propaganda while abandoning parents, students, and good teachers. That ends today. We’re going to expose them, fight them, and take back our classrooms,” said Walters. “At the Teacher Freedom Alliance, we’re giving educators real freedom, freedom from the liberal, woke agenda that has corrupted public education. We will arm teachers with the tools, support, and freedom they need, without forcing them to give up their values. This is a battle for the future of our kids, and we will not lose.” Walters will continue to live in Oklahoma City while he heads the TFA.

Even before Walters revealed if he would run for reelection in 2026, several candidates had already announced their intention to run for the post. But, with the office becoming an open seat due to Walters’ resignation, more candidates have joined the race, while others dropped out. Three Republicans, two Democrats, and an independent candidate are currently running.

Republican Rob Miller had been a critic of Ryan Walters and in February became the first to announce a run for state superintendent. He has been an educator for 27 years and recently retired as superintendent of Bixby Public Schools where he had been superintendent since 2018.

Dr. John Cox joined the list of candidates in June. He is the long-time superintendent of Peggs Public Schools in eastern Oklahoma. Cox, 61, is a career government educator for over three decades working as a math teacher, coach, and administrator. He was the Democrat nominee for the office in 2014 and 2018, losing both times to Joy Hofmeister who was a Republican in those elections. In 2022 Cox switched parties and ran as a Republican and finished in third place in the GOP Primary. Oddly, Hofmeister switched from Republican to Democrat to run for governor in 2022, but lost badly to Stitt.

State Senator Adam Pugh (R-Edmond) joined the race after Walters resigned and is the chairman of the Senate Education Committee. Pugh was first elected to the Oklahoma Senate in 2016 and reelected in 2024. He is in the middle of his term and will continue to serve in the Senate while running for state superintendent. Due to legislative term limits he will not be able to run for reelection to the Senate in 2028. Senator Pugh has been one of the more moderate Republicans in the Legislature, with a 66% cumulative average score on the Oklahoma Conservative Index rating.

Democrat Jennette Marshall served for two terms on the Tulsa Public Schools board, but did not run for a third term this year. She is the founding Pastor of Living Sanctuary Evangelistic Ministries and has also served as a Chaplain for the Tulsa Police Department. She worked 17 years as a Probation and Parole Officer and case manager for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, and three years as a Child Welfare Investigator with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

Former El Reno Public Schools Superintendent Craig McVay spent 35 years in public schools doing almost every job. He became the second Democrat to enter the race.

Jerry Griffin is running as an Independent. He ran for the Tulsa Police and Fire Commission in 1974. He was elected to the Tulsa Public Schools board in 2020 and served for over three years until he resigned in 2024. In 2022 he ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Tulsa City Council.

Governor Stitt has long advocated for depoliticizing the role of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and giving future governors the opportunity to appoint the role to align with their education agendas. The position is one of many elected secondary offices mandated in the state constitution and would require a constitutional amendment to make the office appointed by the governor.