In case we’ve forgotten him, former OK Schools Supt. Ryan Walters did a lot of really expensive, very crazy stuff in the schools, later getting caught watching porn on school property; he was caught while chairing a meeting with Board members. I promised Scottie that I’d post whenever I found something about Ryan Walters. I read this here, where there is plenty more news.

Ryan Walters had ‘history of mismanaging tax dollars,’ AG says as he calls for audit

Alexia Aston, The Oklahoman Thu, October 2, 2025 at 9:17 AM CDT

Attorney General Gentner Drummond has called for an investigative audit into the Oklahoma State Department of Education following the resignation of Ryan Walters as the state’s top education official.

In a letter sent Wednesday, Oct. 1, to Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd, Drummond ordered an audit covering Walters’ tenure from January 2023 to September 2025. The attorney general said several current and past state education employees had raised concerns about spending practices under Walters’ leadership, adding that the former superintendent has a “history of mishandling tax dollars.”

A spokesman for Byrd confirmed her office had received Drummond’s letter.

Walters, the controversial former state schools superintendent, resigned Tuesday to lead a new professional organization that touts itself as “an alternative to union membership” for teachers. The former education leader drew national attention Oklahoma through ultra-conservative, Christianity-focused initiatives. During his tenure, he ordered public schools to teach from the Bible, honor Kirk with a moment of silence and show students a video of him praying for President Donald Trump.

Madison Cercy, spokeswoman for the Department of Education, did not respond to a request for comment.

Grand jury findings blamed Ryan Walters for misspending COVID funds

Drummond, a Republican who’s running for governor, cited the state’s multicounty grand jury findings in 2024, which blamed Walters for misspending pandemic relief funds.

“You are well aware that the former superintendent has a documented history of mismanaging tax dollars, as it was your office that exposed Mr. Walters for granting ‘blanket approval’ for families to purchase non-educational items like Xboxes and refrigerators,” Drummond wrote in the letter to Byrd.

At the time, grand jurors did not issue any indictments, saying they found insufficient evidence to establish, beyond a reasonable doubt, that a crime was committed.

The grand jury specifically blamed Walters for the misspending of federal funds in a program called Bridge the Gap. The program fell underneath the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund. Bridge the Gap’s purpose was to help children get supplies to learn at home during the pandemic. Some parents used funds from the program to buy things for themselves.

Walters has faulted ClassWallet, the out-of-state company hired to help disburse the federal funds.

Democratic lawmaker files ethics complaint against Walters

Drummond isn’t the only elected official requesting a state agency to investigate Walters’ oversight.

State Rep. Ellen Pogemiller, D-Oklahoma City, filed a formal complaint with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission on Sept. 29, saying Walters’ hiring as chief executive officer of the Teacher Freedom Alliance – which he announced during an appearance on Fox News Sept. 24 – raises ethics concerns. Walters repeatedly touted the organization in the months leading up to his hiring.

“This development strongly suggests that his prior actions were motivated by personal financial or professional gain, further underscoring the need for investigation,” Pogemiller wrote in her complaint, which was addressed to Lee Anne Bruce Boone, the Ethics Commission’s executive director.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: After Ryan Walters resigns, AG calls for audit of education department