CNN INTERVIEW WITH RYAN WALTERS, OKLAHOMA SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
TRANSCRIPT
March 20, 2025
NEWS PROGRAM
RYAN WALTERS, OKLAHOMA SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
CNN INTERVIEW WITH RYAN WALTERS, OKLAHOMA SUPERINTENDENT OF
PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
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CNN INTERVIEW WITH RYAN WALTERS, OKLAHOMA SUPERINTENDENT OF
PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
MARCH 20, 2025
SPEAKERS:
RYAN WALTERS, OKLAHOMA SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And joining us now is Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's state superintendent of public instruction.
Superintendent, thanks for being with us.
You are in favor of doing away with the federal Department of Education, but I do wonder if you have any concerns about potential interruptions when it comes to federal funding. Oklahoma does get a little more than the national average on that, because, as I understand, you still want and need the federal funding that goes to education in Oklahoma.
RYAN WALTERS, OKLAHOMA SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION: Look, it's a historic day for America. President Trump is putting our education system back on track, putting our country back on track by eliminating the federal Department of Education.
Look, we don't have concerns. What we're going to see is less bureaucracy, which gives us more of an ability to meet the needs of our students, more ability to get back to the basics without federal interference pushing left-wing indoctrination our kids.
So, for us, it's going to be more of an opportunity to increase student learning, more of an opportunity to get back to the basics and empower families.
KEILAR: A lot of the federal government's involvement when it comes to education in Oklahoma does have to do with that funding, which I think is somewhere in the realm of 14 percent. I know that you touted a record amount of federal Title I funding for low income students, which is the biggest tranche of federal funds that goes to most states, including yours, $224 million in the '23-'24 school year.
You want this federal money in block grants. Can you explain why?
WALTERS: Yes, because what we see so often with the federal government is, they put all these strings and regulations on the funding. So guess what? There's been certain times they pushed an agenda, like transgenderism, DEI, in their grant programs and their dollars.
There's other times that they just require a larger bureaucratic apparatus to implement them. So, for example, when you look at special ed funding, you look at child nutrition funding, we would prefer to have that money in block grants.
So, for special ed funding, I would want money to follow the student, to be individualized, to be driven by the parent and kind of a school choice mechanism like an ESA, rather than the feds saying, you have got to fill out all this paperwork, you have to hire more bureaucrats to fill out the paperwork for us that are constantly working on things that aren't directly involved in student learning.
So you get the federal government out of the way. You allow states to engage in that way. As a former special education teacher myself, look, I think it would be incredibly beneficial for all students with special needs for the federal government to get out of the way there.
KEILAR: In your case, though, it is superintendents in your state who have raised issues about how you are allocating federal funds.
There have also been bipartisan concerns, not just Democrats, of course, but Republicans, who have accused you of ignoring budgetary directives on things from children's asthma inhalers to school security funds.
So I guess the question then would be, as these are concerns — they're coming from inside the house, not from the federal government, why should Oklahomans trust you to have more ability to determine where these funds go with less oversight, when you have concerns from Democrats and Republicans within your own state?
WALTERS: Oh, this couldn't be a better example of what we're talking about.
The status quo came after me when I took on the status quo and brought education back to parents, back to educators, got the government out of control here. And so you saw the teachers union join up with some RINO Republicans and the left. And so they attacked us like crazy. And our record stands on itself.
We have improved student learning. We have gotten school choice done in Oklahoma. We have driven woke indoctrination out, got back to the basics, had the largest teacher signing bonus in state history, largest tutoring programs in state history. Our two largest districts are turning around dramatically in their academic outcomes.
So, again, but this is what happens and you see what President Trump. When he takes on the status quo in education, all the arrows come flying, but this is what is necessary to improve student learning. You don't back down to the teachers unions. They have run education into the ground by partnering with D.C. politicians in the Department of Education.
You have got to get teachers unions out of the way, get the federal Department of Education out of the way, put parents back in charge. Again, we love the reforms here in Oklahoma. Our parents and grandparents are excited about it. And now you're going to see more of that at the national level.
KEILAR: I think we should be clear, Republicans were really reticent to call you out on this at first. There were a number of efforts by Democrats, but eventually Republicans did call you out for what appear to be a number of valid concerns, including that lawmakers on pertinent committees were not allowed in the board's executive meetings, which is something that is actually protected by law.
And on this issue of academic performance, I mean, I hear you citing it, but under your tenure as a top education official in Oklahoma for the last several years here, there's actually been a dip in some scores when you look at that key metric of fourth graders, which is so important, math and science.The number of fourth grade students performing at basic proficient and advanced levels has all dipped.
So, again, these are concerns folks have about your oversight of these funds. Aren't they valid?
WALTERS: No, I mean, look, that's just all simply not true. All the statistics are pointing to an Oklahoma turnaround in academic performance, number one.
Number two, listen, all of these lies that were thrown at us have been...
KEILAR: What have I been — what am I pointing to? Explain that then.
WALTERS: OK, hold on. Let me finish — have shown to be false.
So what we have continued to see are improvements in our F schools, a record number of F schools coming off the F list. We continue to see improvement fourth and eighth grade reading and math. We have also continued to see the establishment forces being wrecked and parents put in control.
And so, again, you're going to continue to see these fights that occur. When you take on an establishment like this, all the arrows will fly. But here's the reality. Parents know what's best for their kids, not bureaucrats. And what you're going to continue to see are states empowering families with this new freedom given to them by the Trump administration.
This will be a historic day. You will see this in the history books, when education was given back to the states, given back to parents. We stand with President Trump's America first agenda. Every Republican should stand with them, but also every state should stand with the president on this. They should want power returned to the states.
KEILAR: Well, Oklahomans largely have that. I mean, these are states administering a lot of things.
But when you're pointing to fourth grade performance, what are you talking about?
WALTERS: Yes, look, we have seen the performance of our urban students and fourth grade reading and math go up nearly 20 ranking points in the last two years.
I took on the worst, one of the worst education systems in the country.
KEILAR: Overall, you have had issues. Overall...
(CROSSTALK)
WALTERS: ... have and embraced these reforms. So we are — continue to see the improvement. We are continuing this...
KEILAR: But, overall, you have had issues, sir.
WALTERS: No, I haven't. No, I haven't. I have had issues taking on a radical left-wing teachers union that is now out of control.
And so, listen, you're going to continue to push these lies here on the network, but this is what the left-wing continues to do. You continue...
KEILAR: And Republican lawmakers, as well as superintendents of schools who do not seem ideologically opposed to you.
(CROSSTALK)
WALTERS: Oh, that's just silly. You think that (AUDIO GAP) 99 percent of their funds to Democrats aren't political? Oh, come on now. We have got woke administrators on this attack. You know that.
I have seen the attacks on President Trump every step of the way. This makes sense. All of your viewers right now are saying, more power to states, more power to families. What's not to like about this? But, again, you continue to see the left protect the status quo, protect institutions.
KEILAR: No, because I'm talking about the very real — very real — like, very real concerns, Superintendent, for instance, this whole business in the spring of not getting proper estimates to schools so that they could figure out how to plan for their federal funds that they were getting.
You had them running right up into August.
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: Obviously, you know, in spring, you need to know, can I hire new teachers with Title I funds, especially — you're talking about impoverished students. Let's talk about them.
That was something that you had Republicans in your state, superintendents in your state very frustrated with, because they were not able to plan.
WALTERS: No, look, look, look...
KEILAR: It seems like a miscarriage of just basic duties of how you handle funds.
WALTERS: I know you're trying to railroad me here and gaslight here on CNN.
But all of these things showed to light what left-wing administrators were lying about in our state. We have gone through all of this. We have proven all of this. We have gotten these numbers out faster. So what you continue to see is CNN here fighting for a status quo, instead of saying our education system has to get better.
We should all agree on that. We're one — we have fallen way behind European countries and other countries across the world. Change needs to happen. We have got to go back to a place in time where localities, states, families were more involved in education. That's what we have got to do.
No amount of gaslighting is going to change that for the American people who stood behind President Trump and these reforms.
KEILAR: No one — Superintendent, Superintendent, I don't think anyone's looking at Oklahoma right now and is fighting for the status quo. Of course, Oklahomans broadly are not.
A report last July from the Department of Education gave you and the department that you oversee 32 out of 52 indicators for how you handle federal money for different grant programs, failing grades on that. That had to do with a number of different metrics.
I hear you dismissing it by saying that they're trying to make you jump through bureaucratic hoops, but this is about how you are meeting the needs of students who are low-income, the most at-risk students in your state.
WALTERS: You — so the same department within a week also told us we had to allow boys in girls sports and boys in girls bathrooms, or they would take all of our funding away from us.
The Biden administration Department of Education was constantly attacking conservative reforms, attacking school choice, sending the FBI and the DOJ to investigate parents who showed up at school...
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: What about you, Superintendent, and your management here? I hear you pivoting to talk about bathrooms, but your management of these funds...
WALTERS: Oh, no.
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: ... because what we're talking about now, Joe Biden's not president, but you're talking about getting this money in block grants.
WALTERS: That's right.
KEILAR: So let's talk about you and how you manage those funds, because you're asking for it with fewer restrictions. That's what a block grant is.
WALTERS: Absolutely.
KEILAR: And there are serious questions about how you handle that.
WALTERS: There's not. Now, maybe on CNN, maybe you want to continue to perpetuate that. But the reality is that Oklahomans...
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: With your — with lawmakers in your party and your state, sir.
(CROSSTALK)
WALTERS: Oh, and they all got beat in their reelections this last cycle, because Oklahomans knew they were lying. They knew they were bought and paid for by the teachers union.
And so what you're going to continue to see is, parents are tired of it. Parents are fed up with bureaucrats. They're fed up with left-wing activists masquerading as looking out for others' best interests. What they're trying to do is stop an America first agenda that was voted on by the people of America. Every county in my state voted for President Trump.
We will unapologetically enforce an America first agenda into policy. And so we are going to stand with the president. We're going to continue to fight for these initiatives. We won't allow woke mobs. We won't allow gaslighting left-wing news networks to derail that.
Our successes are clear. And this is going to be a turning point in American history.
KEILAR: We're just talking about how you're serving the students in your state.
Superintendent Ryan Walters, thanks for being with us.
WALTERS: Thank you.
END
