TULSA, Okla. — State Superintendent Ryan Walters is stepping down as OK State Superintendent, per an interview with Fox News late Sept. 24.
Walters said he will be the CEO of Teacher Freedom Alliance.
Rumors started Tuesday that Walters planned to resign from his position as State Superintendent of Education.
Sources brought it to 2 News Oklahoma, so we started doing some digging.
WATCH: 2 News Oklahoma looks into claims about State Superintendent
Since Walters is stepping down Gov. Stitt appoints someone to that position.
We reached out to Walters, but haven't heard back yet. We also reached out to Gov. Stitt's office, who did get back to us before the announcement :
"Walters hasn’t resigned nor talked to the governor about resigning; there are no plans to appoint anyone to a seat that is currently occupied."
Voters elected Walters to this position in Nov. 2022. His term ends Jan. 2027.
During his time in office, he's faced several lawsuits, public arguments with school leaders, and issues with members of the school board.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond sent this statement after the announcement:
“Ever since Gov. Stitt appointed Ryan Walters to serve as Secretary of Education, we have witnessed a stream of never-ending scandal and political drama. From the mishandling of pandemic relief funds that resulted in families buying Xboxes and refrigerators to the latest squabbling with board members over what was or wasn’t showing on TV, the Stitt-Walters era has been an embarrassment to our state.
“Even worse, test scores and reading proficiency are at historic lows.
“It’s time for a State Superintendent of Public Instruction who will actually focus on quality instruction in our public schools. Gov. Stitt used to say he would make us Top Ten, but after seven years we are ranked 50th in education. Our families, our students and our teachers deserve so much more.”
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