Ryan Walters (politician)
Ryan Walters | |
|---|---|
| Oklahoma Superintendent-elect of Public Instruction | |
| Assuming office January 2023 | |
| Governor | Kevin Stitt |
| Succeeding | Joy Hofmeister |
| Secretary of Education of Oklahoma | |
| Assumed office September 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Rogers |
| Succeeded by | TBD |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 23, 1985 McAlester, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Harding University (BA) |
Ryan Walters (born May 23, 1985)[1] is an Oklahoma politician who has served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Education since 2020 and as the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction elect in 2022.
Early career
Walters grew up in McAlester, Oklahoma and attended Harding University before returning to teach at McAlester High School. He was a McAlester Teacher of the Year and finalist for the 2016 State Teacher of the Year. He was also appointed to the Oklahoma Community Service Commission in 2018 by Governor Mary Fallin and Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability in 2019 by Governor Kevin Stitt. He resigned from McAlester Public Schools in 2019.[2] On May 29, 2019 he was appointed as the Executive Director of Oklahoma Achieves, a nonprofit education organization created by the State Chamber of Oklahoma.[3] By March 2020, Oklahoma Achieves transitioned into an independent nonprofit, Every Kid Counts Oklahoma, with Walters as its executive director.[2]
Oklahoma Secretary of Education
On September 10, 2020, Governor Kevin Stitt nominated Ryan Walters to be Oklahoma Secretary of Education.[4]
On May 2, 2022, The Frontier and Oklahoma Watch reported on a United States Department of Education report which found the Bridge the Gap program Walters oversaw was implemented with few safeguards to prevent fraud or abuse and that federal auditors were investigating the distribution of COVID-19 relief money through the program.[5]
On May 11, Oklahoma House of Representatives Democrats called on Governor Stitt to call for Walters resignation. The Governor's office responded "Secretary Walters is doing a great job fighting for parents’ right to be in charge of their child’s education and advocating for funding students, not government-controlled systems.”[6]
Later in May, Oklahoma newspapers reported that while working as Secretary of Education, Walters remained Executive Director of Every Kid Counts Oklahoma, an Oklahoma education non-profit. Walters was paid approximately $120,000 a year by Every Kid Counts Oklahoma compared to his state salary of $40,000. The Frontier and Oklahoma Watch reported that Every Kid Counts Oklahoma was funded by national school privatization advocates and charter school expansion advocates, such as the Walton Family Foundation and another group founded by Charles Koch.[2]
State Superintendent
2022 campaign
Walters ran for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction in the 2022 Oklahoma elections.[7] He was endorsed by Governor Kevin Stitt and Texas Senator Ted Cruz.[8][9] He defeated the Democratic Party's nominee, Jena Nelson, in the general election.[10]
Electoral history
2022
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ryan Walters | 142,540 | 41% | |
| Republican | April Grace | 105,303 | 31% | |
| Republican | John Cox | 83,012 | 24% | |
| Republican | William E. Crozier | 12,936 | 4% | |
| Total votes | 343,791 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ryan Walters | 149,147 | 53.4 | |
| Republican | April Grace | 130,168 | 46.6 | |
| Total votes | 279,315 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ryan Walters | ||||
| Democratic | Jena Nelson | ||||
| Total votes | |||||
References
- ^ Maune, Tess (February 17, 2021). "Oklahoma's New Education Secretary Stays in Classroom, Dedicated to What's Best for Kids". KOTV-DT. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c Adcock, Clifton; Gorman, Reese; Palmer, Jennifer (19 May 2022). "Billionaire philanthropists pushing charter schools and school vouchers also fund Oklahoma's Secretary of Education's six-figure salary". The Frontier. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Autry, David (29 May 2019). "Ryan Walters new Oklahoma Achieves executive director". McAlester News. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Prather, Megan (10 September 2020). "Stitt names Ryan Walters new secretary of education". NonDoc. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Palmer, Jennifer; Adcock, Clifton; Gorman, Reese (2 May 2022). "Stitt gave families $8 Million for school supplies in the pandemic; They bought Christmas trees, gaming consoles and hundreds of TVs". The Frontier. Oklahoma Watch. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Palmer, Jennifer (11 May 2022). "House Democrats call on governor to oust cabinet member over misspent educational relief funds". The Frontier. Oklahoma Watch. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Love, Ryan (30 May 2022). "Election 2022: Four-Republican race for state superintendent in Oklahoma". KJRH 2 News Oklahoma. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Forman, Carmen (19 June 2022). "Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt's primary challenge: getting his allies elected to state offices". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Severin, Kevin (10 June 2022). "Ted Cruz endorses Ryan Walters: 'Ryan is a tireless advocate for students'". Fox 25 Oklahoma. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Eger, Andrea (8 November 2022). "Ryan Walters wins high-profile race for state superintendent". Tulsa World. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ "June 28 2022". okelections.us. Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ "August 23 2022". okelections.us. Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved 1 October 2022.