Overview

• Walters announced on Fox News that he will become CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance, declaring, “We’re going to destroy the teachers unions.”
• His campaign manager said he expects Walters to leave in early October, triggering the governor’s appointment of a successor to run the Education Department and state board for the remainder of the term.
• The Teacher Freedom Alliance lists about 2,617 enrolled educators on its website and is a Freedom Foundation initiative offering a nonunion alternative.
• Walters’ tenure featured high-profile culture-war directives, including mandating Bible instruction, advancing disputed social-studies guidance tied to 2020 election claims, proposing ideological screening for out-of-state teachers, and announcing Turning Point USA chapters for all high schools this week.
• Reaction was swift, with Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond calling Walters’ era an embarrassment, while an investigation into explicit images on a TV in Walters’ office resulted in no criminal charges.