Oklahoma’s top education official embraces culture wars

When Oklahoma’s newly elected Republican head of public faculties campaigned for the job final fall, he ran on a platform of combating “woke ideology” in public faculties, banning sure books from college libraries, empowering dad and mom with college selection and eliminating “radical leftists” he claims have been indoctrinating kids in school rooms throughout the state.

Whereas the political technique was profitable and Ryan Walters gained the race for superintendent of public instruction by practically 15 proportion factors, many anticipated him to pivot towards extra substantive schooling coverage: working with lawmakers to enhance schooling outcomes and overseeing the state’s largest — and most-funded — company.

As an alternative, Walters, a former public college instructor from McAlester, has doubled down on his political rhetoric, focusing his vitality on culture-war points like focusing on transgender athletes in faculties, banning books and combating what he calls “Joe Biden’s radical agenda.”

In doing so, the 37-year-old political newcomer has annoyed even his fellow Republicans within the Legislature, who’ve publicly voiced concern about whether or not Walters can successfully enhance public schooling in Oklahoma, which persistently scores beneath the nationwide common on most standardized testing and the place common scores have declined in recent times.

State Rep. Mark McBride, a veteran Republican lawmaker who heads a key schooling funds committee within the Home, stated he is dissatisfied Walters has continued to have interaction in inflammatory commentary and take recommendation from his marketing campaign advisor as a substitute of working with lawmakers on coverage.

“If he would come over right here and speak to us as a substitute of a political hack, I feel it could transfer the state ahead and transfer schooling ahead,” stated McBride, who stated Walters’ current refusal of an invite to handle a committee listening to was the primary time in his 11 years within the Home that an company head had accomplished so.

Even Senate President Professional Tempore Greg Deal with, who stated he considers Walters a good friend, stated he is turned off by Walters’ “fiery” rhetoric.

“I want we might get down into the main points of attempting to ship on college selection and an actual instructor pay increase,” Deal with stated.

In an editorial, the state’s largest newspaper, The Oklahoman, referred to as on Walters to finish the divisive rhetoric or resign from workplace.

Walters is a robust supporter of a voucher-style plan that may enable dad and mom to make use of taxpayer cash to homeschool their kids or ship them to non-public faculties, even spiritual ones. The difficulty is a serious one the Republican-controlled Legislature is contemplating this 12 months amid bipartisan opposition. However a number of lawmakers engaged on the proposal say Walters has had little, if any, enter.

For his half, Walters stated he is bought “nice help” within the Home and Senate and that he is persevering with to work with lawmakers to get some form of voucher proposal, which he calls college selection, to the governor’s desk.

“I’m going to proceed to battle for that in each the Senate and the Home, and we’re working carefully to get this accomplished,” he stated.

He additionally proposed a brand new instructor recruitment pilot program that features a $50,000 sign-on bonus for brand spanking new lecturers in sure educational areas who spend at the least 5 years within the classroom.

Whereas many public college lecturers and directors fiercely oppose the concept of sending public cash to non-public faculties, a number of who spoke to The Related Press say they’re extra involved about Walters’ speaking factors and his threats to punish lecturers.

“I’d say worry is probably the most poignant emotion that’s felt,” stated Jaime Lee, a ninth-grade U.S. authorities and historical past instructor within the Tulsa suburb of Bixby.

She stated many lecturers are afraid of violating a state regulation authorized two years in the past that prohibits the educating of sure ideas of race and racism, generally known as an “anti-critical race idea regulation,” which Walters vowed to strongly implement. Essential race idea , a mind-set about America’s historical past by means of the lens of racism that’s usually taught on the college degree, lately morphed throughout the nation from an obscure educational dialogue level on the left right into a political rallying cry on the fitting.

“It’s irritating as a instructor,” Lee stated.

These fears have been heightened earlier this 12 months when Walters threatened to revoke a Norman instructor’s educating certificates as a result of she offered her highschool college students with a QR code that linked to the Brooklyn Public Library’s part of banned books.

Walters additionally has not shied away from his help of personal Christian faculties. He even inspired a state board to approve what could be the nation’s first spiritual constitution college , regardless of an express prohibition within the state structure and the state’s Republican lawyer common’s warnings .

After a dad or mum and a few ministers raised considerations to the board, Walters dismissed them as “radical leftists” who hate the Catholic church.

“(Walters) simply couldn’t assist himself however interject with very inflammatory, partisan language,” stated Erika Wright, a mom of two kids in public college and the chief of the Oklahoma Rural Faculties Coalition who spoke to the board. “I am a Republican. I am not a radical leftist.”

Walters additionally has confronted criticism for his earlier work as Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt’s secretary of schooling, when he had oversight of a program to distribute federal coronavirus aid funds meant for schooling. A scathing federal audit of this system really helpful the state return practically $653,000 it stated households had spent on gadgets like Xbox gaming techniques, grills and televisions.

A few of Walters’ different actions have been seen as petty digs towards educators, like when only a month into the job, he eliminated portraits of members of the Educators Corridor of Fame that had been hanging for many years within the Division of Training constructing. He changed them with art work from college students.

He additionally confronted criticism for a tweet in December that confirmed his household posing with a white Santa Claus and stated: “No woke Santa this 12 months :).” Many interpreted the message as a thinly veiled racist response to information tales on the time a couple of Black Oklahoman who dressed as Santa , though Walters rejected any suggestion the tweet was racist.

Regardless of the controversy, Stitt, who’s serving his second time period as governor, stated he continues to trust in Walters.

“I feel he’s simple to focus on, perhaps, and I feel he has some social media stuff,” Stitt stated. “I do know his coronary heart, and his coronary heart is to enhance schooling in Oklahoma and to empower dad and mom.”